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Germander Speedwell

Germander Speedwell

Veronica chamaedrys

Identify the Germander Speedwell from a photo and log your finds with Florapass.

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How common: Very common

Germander Speedwell is a small, long‑lived wildflower with bright blue, four‑petalled blooms. It is common in grass and open places across much of Europe and northern Asia, and often turns up in lawns and pathsides.

Did you know?

  • Some creeping shoots can stay green under snow and keep the plant alive through winter.
  • The blue petals often show fine darker lines near the center.

About the species

Identification

A low plant 10–35 cm tall with upright or rising stems that often spring from creeping shoots. Stems usually show two narrow lines of hairs on opposite sides. Leaves grow in pairs, oval, with coarse teeth; lower leaves have short stalks, upper ones sit right on the stem, all softly hairy. Flowers come in loose clusters from the upper leaf forks, often two clusters together. Each flower is 1–1.2 cm across, bright blue with four petals (often one smaller) and a small pale center. Seed pods are small, flat and heart‑shaped with hairy edges. Unlike creeping speedwell, this one has clear upright stems and paired flower clusters. Flowers in Finland from June to August.

Plant group

Herbaceous plants

Habitat

meadow

Flowering

Jun–Aug

About the habitat

Sunny to lightly shaded grassland, lawns, pastures, forest edges and clearings, roadsides and garden ground. Common throughout Finland except Lapland.

Sources

Photo: Achim Lammerts (Syntaxys), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2026-04-18 Z5-5250 Achim-Lammerts Veronica-chamaedrys.jpg

Text: Pinkka: Laaja maatalouslajintuntemus 4 op - Koppisiemeniset, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39609

Text: Pinkka: Kasvien talvi - Talvivihreät luonnonkasvit, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39609

Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nurmit%C3%A4dyke

See also