Veronica derwentiana explained

Veronica derwentiana, commonly known as Derwent speedwell,^[1] is a flowering plant species of the family Plantaginaceae, endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a perennial with toothed leaves and white or pale blue flowers in terminal sprays in spring and summer.

Description

Veronica derwentiana is a woody herb which grows to high with numerous upright stems from a woody rootstock. The stems are smooth or have small hairs lying longitudinal, occasionally on the whole surface and not branched below the flowers. The stems remain for up to 2 years. The leaves are long, lance to egg-shaped and ending in a sharp point or tapering to a point. The leaves vary at the base and may be wedge, squared, or heart shaped on a small broad stalk or without a stalk. The leaf margin has 30-80 small pointed teeth. The calyx lobes are long, either smooth or with occasional short hairs. The flower petals are long, white, pale lilac or pale blue in racemes of 40-100 flowers. The seed capsule is narrow or broadly egg-shaped, long, wide and either smooth or with short hairs on the upper side and somewhat lustrous. Flowering occurs in summer.^{[2] [3] [4]}

Taxonomy and naming

Veronica derwentiana was first formally described by Henry Cranke Andrews in 1808 and the description was published in The Botanist's Repository for New and Rare Plants.^{[5] [6]} The species was named after the type form where it was found near the Derwent River Tasmania.^[1]

There are five subspecies described and accepted by the Australian Plant Census:

• V. derwentiana Andrews subsp. derwentiana;^[7]
• V. derwentiana subsp. homalodonta (B.G.Briggs & Ehrend.) B.G.Briggs;^[8]
• V. derwentiana subsp. maideniana (Gand.) B.G.Briggs;^[9]
• V. derwentiana subsp. subglauca (B.G.Briggs & Ehrend.) B.G.Briggs;^[10]
• V. derwentiana subsp. anisodonta (B.G.Briggs & Ehrend.) B.G.Briggs.^[11]

Distribution and habitat

Derwent speedwell occurs in a variety of habitats including eucalypt forest and alpine herb fields in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.^[2] It is often seen on disturbed sites.^[12]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Veronica derwentiana . Growing Native Plants-Australian National Botanic Garden . Australian National Herbarium . 28 November 2019.
2. Web site: Veronica derwentiana . 2014-10-03 . PlantNET - New South Wales Flora Online . Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney Australia.
3. Web site: Veronica derwentiana . VicFlora . Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria . 30 November 2019.
4. Book: Australian Plants for Canberra region gardens & other cold climate areas . 2015 . Australian Native Plant Society-Canberra . 9780646930336.
5. Book: Andrews, Henry C. . The Botanist's Repository for New, and Rare Plants . Henry Cranke Andrews . Biodiversity Heritage Library . 1797 . 30 November 2019.
6. Web site: Veronica derwentiana . Australian Plant Name Index . 1 December 2019.
7. Web site: Veronica derwentiana subsp. derwentiana . Australian Plant Census . 1 December 2019.
8. Web site: Veronica derwentiana subsp. homalodonta . Australian Plant Census . 1 December 2019.
9. Web site: Veronica derwentiana subsp. maideniana . Australian Plant Census . 1 December 2019.
10. Web site: Veronica derwentiana subsp. subglauca . Australian Plant Census . 1 December 2019.
11. Web site: Veronica derwentiana subsp. anisodonta . Australian Plant Census . 1 December 2019.
12. Book: Corrick, M.G. . Fuhrer, B.A. . amp . Wildflowers of Victoria and adjoining areas. Bloomings Books. Australia . 2001 . 1876473142.