About Veronica praecox All.
Species Identity and General Growth Form
Veronica praecox All. is a small annual speedwell that bears bright blue flowers and grows upright to a height of 20 cm (7.9 in).
Leaf Size
It has small, relatively broad leaves that grow up to 12 mm long.
Leaf Characteristics
These leaves have conspicuous teeth along their edges (they are not lobed), often have a reddish tint on their undersides, and decrease in size toward the top of the flowering stem, becoming untoothed near the top.
Flower Characteristics
The small blue flowers are 3–4 mm in diameter, with a relatively small central style that measures 1–2 mm long.
Stem Indumentum
The upper portion of the plant is somewhat covered in glandular hairs.
Photographic Resource
Photographic examples of this species can be viewed on iNaturalist.
Native and Introduced Range
Its native range covers Albania, Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Crete, Crimea, Morocco, Netherlands, North Caucasus, Poland, Romania, Sicily, South European Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, and Yugoslavia; it has been introduced into the British Isles.
European Habitat
Across Europe, it grows in dry, sandy or stony ground.
Turkish Habitat and Elevation Range
In Turkey, it occurs on rocky steppe, in pastures, and in fields, at elevations between 900–1,600 m (3,000–5,200 ft).
