About Veronica persica Poir.
Veronica persica Poir. is an annual plant that reproduces by seed. Its cotyledons are triangular with truncated bases. Its short-stalked leaves are broadly ovate with coarsely serrated margins, and grow 1 to 2 cm (0.4 to 0.8 in) long. Leaves are arranged in opposite pairs on the lower stem, and in an alternate pattern on upper stem sections. This species has weak stems that form a dense, prostrate groundcover, with stem tips that often grow upright. Flowers are roughly 1 cm (0.4 in) wide, sky-blue with dark stripes and white centers. They are zygomorphic, meaning they have only one vertical plane of symmetry. Flowers grow solitary on long, slender, hairy stalks that emerge from leaf axils. Seeds are transversely rugose, measure 1 to 2 mm (0.04 to 0.08 in) long, with 5 to 10 seeds per fruit locule. The fruit lobes of Veronica persica diverge widely to form a spreading 'V', solitary flowers emerge from the stem with leaf stalks, and flower stalks are regularly much longer than the leaves. This sets it apart from several similar species: Veronica polita and Veronica agrestis have parallel fruit lobes and flower stalks shorter than or equal to leaf length; Veronica crista-galli has smaller flowers and fruits than its calyx, and its calyx is made of two bilobed parts instead of four unlobed parts; Veronica filiformis has small round leaves that are smaller than or equal in size to its flowers; Veronica chamaedrys and Veronica montana do not produce solitary flowers, instead bearing flowers in short, leafless spikes; Veronica hederifolia has small flowers and a different leaf lobe shape. This plant grows in fields and lawns. It prefers moist conditions and grows well in loamy soil. While many other species in the Veronica genus are used in gardens (including V. exalta, V. incana, V. gentianoides, V. longifolia, V. perfoliata, and V. spicata), Veronica persica is generally considered a weed and has no known horticultural uses. In herbal medicine, Afghani herbalist Mahomet Allum used this plant to treat patients with heart trouble in Adelaide, Australia, in the mid-20th century. It has also been used to treat snakebite, hemorrhaging, rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma, and used as an expectorant.
