Water Speedwell 🌿🌸🪷

This plant, belonging to the Plantaginaceae family (scientific name Veronica anagallis-aquatica), grows along the banks of streams, in ditches, and in damp areas with shallow and not too stagnant waters. It can sprawl over the water and carpet the surface or grow in height up to 1 meter; in fact, it can also thrive outside of water, as long as there is ample humidity.
The delicate flowers 🌸, arranged in long inflorescences of 20-60 flowers, create beautiful patches of blue or lilac color during the summer. The entire Veronica genus is easily recognizable by the four-lobed corolla of its flowers; however, due to their general similarity, many species are often confused with each other.
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As with many plants that inhabit these environments, the stems are fleshy and hollow inside, allowing oxygen and other gases 🫧 to be transferred from the surface parts of the plant to the roots, which rely on oxygen for respiration.
Photo Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons