Veronica americana | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Plantaginaceae |
Genus: | Veronica |
Species: | V. americana
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Binomial name | |
Veronica americana |
Veronica americana, variously called American brooklime[2] or American speedwell,[2][3] is a plant native to temperate and arctic Asia and North America[2] 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.[4]
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.[5]
American speedwell is used both as food and as a medicinal plant.[citation needed] It is rich in nutrients and is reported to have a flavor similar to that of watercress.[6] As long as the water source is not contaminated, the entire plant (sans roots) can be eaten raw.[7]