Veronica, named for the woman who took her veil, or a linen cloth, and wiped the sweat from the face of Jesus as he was bearing his cross to Calvary, and so named because the markings on some species supposedly resemble those on her sacred handkerchief.
cymbalaria; cymbalum, κυμβαλον, cymbal; cymbal like, referring to the rounded leaf shapes.
Life form: Annual
Stems: 8-15 cm; stem hairy, very branched
Leaves: Simple
Flowers: Flower solitary on axillary peduncles longer than the leaf; corolla 6-10 mm; with 4 White petals, fused in tube at the base; calyx 3-4 mm, partly fused, very hairy, blunt, ciliate sepals;
Fruits / pods: Capsule ciliate, fruiting pedicel very long, 2-4 seeded
Flowering Period: January, February, March, April
Habitat: Mediterranean maquis and forest, Batha, Phrygana, Disturbed habitats
Distribution: The Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands
Chorotype: Mediterranean
Summer shedding: Ephemeral
How to get rid of:
Use the gel (Roundup Gel) or ready-to-use spray (e.g Roundup Fast Action Ready-to-Use, SBM Job done General Purpose Weedkiller, Doff Glyphosate Weedkiller Ready-to-Use) on patches of speedwell. Leave the weed for three to four weeks for the weedkiller to take effect, before removing dead foliage.
