Veronica officinalis
| Veronica officinalis | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 0.3' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Veronica officinalis (common name: common speedwell)
Propagation: Seed - sow autumn in a cold frame[1]. 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 quantity, the seed can be sown in situ in the autumn or the spring.
Division in autumn or spring[1]. 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.
Cultivation: Easily grown in a moderately fertile moisture retentive well drained soil[1]. Prefers cool summers[1]. Thrives in light shade or in open sunny positions[2].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Iceland south and east to Spain, W. Asia and the Caucasus.
Habitat: Heaths, moors, grassland, dry hedgebanks and coppices, often on dry soils[3][4].
Edibility: A bitter tangy tea is made from the fresh flowering herb or the dried leaves[5][6][7][8]. The dried leaves can be added to tea blends[9].
Medicinal: The leaves and roots are alterative, astringent, mildly diuretic, mildly expectorant, stomachic and tonic[3][10][2][6][11]. They have been employed in the treatment of pectoral and nephritic complaints, haemorrhages, skin diseases and the treatment of wounds[3], though the plant is considered to be obsolete in modern herbalism[9]. The leaves are harvested in the summer and dried for later use[10].
Pollinators: Flies, bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hylton, Josie and William Holtom. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press, 1979.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.