Veronica

The recent trend in botanical thought is to recognise a broadly drawn circumscription of the genus Veronica, including Hebe and other Australasian genera.

48 species and hybrids of Veronica are recorded in Britain, per BSBI. These are classified below, following an online summary of the classification of Veroniceae. (I have inferred that the BSBI's Veronica paniculata represents V. spuria, and haven't been able to relate their V. grandis to that classification.)

Not all of these are common, but 34 are sufficiently established in this country to be include in Stace's New Flora of the British Isles.

• subg. Hebe




• Veronica barkeri (Barker's Hebe)


• Veronica dieffenbachii (Dieffenbach's Hebe)


• Veronica ×franciscana (hedge veronica)


• Veronica ×lewisii (Lewis's Hebe)


• Veronica salicifolia (Koromika)


• Veronica traversii




• subg. Derwentia




• Veronica calycina




• subg. Pseudolysimachion




• Veronica bachofenii


• Veronica longifolia (garden speedwell)


• Veronica longifolia × spicata


• Veronica spicata (spiked speedwell)


• Veronica spuria




• subg. Beccabunga




• Veronica acinifolia (French speedwell)


• Veronica anagallis-aquatica (blue water-speedwell)


• Veronica beccabunga (brooklime)


• Veronica catenata (pink water-speedwell)


• Veronica gentianoides


• Veronica ×lackschewitzii (hybrid water-speedwell)


• Veronica peregrina (American speedwell)


• Veronica serpyllifolia (thyme-leaved speedwell)


• Veronica repens (Corsican speedwell)


• Veronica scutellata (marsh speedwell)




• subg. Veronica




• Veronica alpina (alpine speedwell)


• Veronica montana (wood speedwell)


• Veronica officinalis (heath speedwell)


• Veronica urticifolia




• subg. Orientales




• Veronica austriaca (large speedwell)


• Veronica orientalis


• Veronica prostrata




• subg. Fruticulosae




• Veronica fruticans (rock speedwell)




• subg. Chamaedrys




• Veronica arvensis (wall speedwell)


• Veronica chamaedrys (germander speedwell)


• Veronica verna (spring speedwell)




• subg. Pellidosperma




• Veronica glauca


• Veronica praecox (Breckland speedwell)


• Veronica triphyllos (fingered speedwell)




• subg. Pocilla




• Veronica agrestis (green field-speedwell)


• Veronica campylopoda


• Veronica filiformis (slender speedwell)


• Veronica opaca


• Veronica persica (common field-speedwell)


• Veronica polita (grey field-speedwell)




• subg. Digitatae




• Veronica chamaepithyoides


• Veronica grisebachii




• subg. Veronicella




• Veronica crista-galli (crested field-speedwell)


• Veronica cymbalaria (pale speedwell)


• Veronica hederifolia (hexaploid ivy-leaved speedwell)


• Veronica sublobata (tetraploid ivy-leaved speedwell)