Water Speedwell
Veronica anagallis-aquatica

Family: Scrophulariaceae

What it is like

Veronica anagallis-aquatica is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft). It is not frost tender. It is in flower from June to August. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Flies. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers wet soil and can grow in water.

Height (m): 0.3

Where it is found

Marshes, ditches, wet meadows, ponds and streams, avoiding acid conditions.

Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to N. Africa, temperate Asia to Japan.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

Leaves - raw or cooked. Rich in vitamin C. A subtle flavour, the leaves can be added to salads or used as a potherb. When used in salads they go better with a lemon dressing than vinegar. The leaves are often available in winter.

Medicine

Rating: 2

The root and the leaves are alterative, appetizer and diuretic. The leaves are used in the treatment of scurvy, impurity of the blood etc. The plant is bruised and applied externally as a poultice on burns, ulcers, whitlows, etc.

Alterative: Causes a gradual beneficial change in the body, usually through improved nutrition and elimination, without having any marked specific action.

Antiscorbutic: A plant rich in vitamin C that is used to counteract scurvy.

Appetizer: Improves the appetite

Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.

Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.

Vitamin C: Plants good for their vitamin C content

Other

Rating:

How it is grown

Easily grown in a moderately fertile wet soil or in shallow water. Prefers cool summers. Plants are occasionally cultivated for their edible leaves in Japan.

Propagating it: Seed - sow autumn in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. If you have sufficient seed it can be grown in situ in the autumn or spring. Division in autumn or spring. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring. Cuttings of young shoots root easily in the growing season, merely put them in water.

Best place to grow: Pond; Bog Garden;

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness:

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Wet, water

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

V. anagallis.