Veronica americana explained

Veronica americana, variously called American brooklime or American speedwell,^[1] is a plant native to temperate and arctic Asia and North America where it grows in streams and bottomlands.

It is a herbaceous perennial with glabrous stems 10–100 cm long that bear terminal or axillary racemes or spikes of soft violet flowers. The leaves are 1.5–8 cm long and 3 to 20 times as long as wide, short-petiolate, glabrous, serrate to almost entire.^[2]

The plant can be confused with Scutellaria (skullcap) and other members of the mint family. Members of the mint family have square sided stems, and Veronica species have rounded stems.^[3]

Uses

American speedwell is used both as food and as a medicinal plant. It is rich in nutrients and is reported to have a flavor similar to that of watercress.^[4] As long as the water source is not contaminated, the entire plant (sans roots) can be eaten raw.^[5]

Further reading

• Moreno-Escobar. Jorge. Alvarez. Laura. Rodriguez-Lopez. Veronica. Marquina Bahena. Silvia. Cytotoxic glucosydic iridoids from Veronica americana. 2013. Phytochemistry Letters. 6. 4. 610–613. 10.1016/j.phytol.2013.07.017. 2013PChL....6..610M .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Veronica americana Schwein. ex Benth. . PLANTS Profile . United States Department of Agriculture; Natural Resources Conservation Service . 2008-03-30 .
2. Web site: Veronica americana. WTU Herbarium Image Collection . Burke Museum, University of Washington. 2008-03-30.
3. Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West, Gregory L. Tilford,
4. Book: Reiner, Ralph E.. Introducing the Flowering Beauty of Glacier National Park and the Majestic High Rockies. Glacier Park, Inc.. 1969. 96.
5. Book: Nyerges, Christopher. Foraging Washington: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods. Falcon Guides. 2017. 978-1-4930-2534-3. Guilford, CT. 965922681.