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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE FIGWORT FAMILY | |||||||||
| The figwort family is very common in Saskatchewan. The leaves are usually opposite, though they may be alternate, whorled, or all basal. The leaf margin may be entire to pinnately or palmately lobed. The flowers are irregular and are commonly 2-lipped. The upper lip usually has two lobes and the lower lip three lobes. Each flower has two or four stamens. If four stamens are present, they are in two groups of two and are usually attached to the petals. The sepals and the petals are commonly fused together. In some species, large, brightly-coloured bracts hide the flowers. The fruit is a many-seeded capsule. | |||||||||
| BRIGHTBLUE SPEEDWELL | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Veronica serpyllifolia ssp. humifusa | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Brightblue speedwell grows as tall as 30 cm. The stems are ascending but often creeping at the base. The leaves are opposite and are short stalked to stalkless. The leaves are elliptic to broadly oval and have a round-toothed or smooth margin. The sepals are 4-lobed and are covered in short hairs. The petals are blue and hairy. The flowers have two stamens. The fruit is a notched, glandular hairy capsule. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Brightblue speedwell grows in moist, grassy, open woods and clearings. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in southwestern Saskatchewan in the Cypress Upland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Brightblue speedwell is threatened because it is rare and regionally restricted to the southwestern corner of the province. No immediate threats are known but may occur in the future. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY BRIGHTBLUE SPEEDWELL | |||||||||
| * Are the stems creeping at the base? * Are the leaves opposite? * Are the petals blue and hairy? * Did you find it in southwestern Saskatchewan | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found brightblue speedwell! | |||||||||
