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Veronica officinalis
Also called Health Speedwell, Common gypsyweed, Common Speedwell, Upland Speedwell, Gypsyweed, Speedwell
Heath speedwell is a low-growing perennial herb in the plantain family, forming mats of hairy stems with small violet flowers from May to August. It thrives in open, sunny ground and is tolerant of poor soils.
Veronica officinalis, the heath speedwell, common gypsyweed, common speedwell, or Paul's betony, is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. It is native to Europe and western Asia. It has been introduced to North America and is widely naturalised there.
This speedwell grows in open areas, such as fields, meadows and gardens, where it is sometimes grown as an edible, or medicinal herb.
The slightly bitter and astringent taste and tea-like smell of speedwell led to its use as a tea substitute in 19th-century France, where it was called thé d'Europe, or "Europe tea". The French still use this term as a name for speedwell.
Veronica sect. Hebe · Veronica Recurva · American speedwell · Water speedwell · Corn speedwell · Broadleaf speedwell · European speedwell · Fiordland Parahebe · Pink Water-speedwell · Ash Coloured Speedwell · Dillenius' speedwell · Silver Speedwell
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Veronica officinalis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
