Ivy-leaved Speedwell - Veronica hederifolia

A low sprawling hairy plant, stems branched at the base. Leaves kidney shaped with 3 to 7 lobes, the end lobe being the largest, 3 veined, all but the lowermost alternate. Flowers pale lilac or pale blue, 4 to 9 mm solitary. Capsule rounded and slightly notched. There are two common sub species of Ivy-leaved Speedwell, they are the blue flowered form - Veronica hederifolia sub species hederifolia which has pale blue flowers with blue anthers and a lilac flowered form - Veronica hederifolia sub species lucorum which has whitish to pale lilac flowers with whitish or pale blue anthers.

other speedwells

The 2 subspecies cannot always be identified (intermediate forms occur).

This is difficult to identify with confidence from a close-up photo of the flowers.  

Cultivated land, pathways, roadside verges and walls.

March to August.

Annual.

Common throughout Britain.

Common in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 331 of the 617 tetrads.

In the current Checklist (Jeeves, 2011) it is listed as Alien (archaeophyte), locally frequent; the distribution of the two subspecies is given as 'uncertain'.