Veronica anagallis-aquatica Blue Water-speedwell

An annual or perennial speedwell which grows in wet places near water courses, ponds and other flooded areas. It can grow as a submerged plant, with flowering stems emerging from the water and it can also grow in marshy terrestrial habitats. Unlike Pink Water-speedwell (Veronica catenata), with which it can be confused, it produces dense spikes of blue flowers and the stalks are held upwards at an angle to the stem when in fruit. It is found throughout much of Britain but it is scarcer in the west and it is uncommon in Wales and mostly confined to coastal areas. It is very uncommon in West Glamorgan with few recent records and perhaps some misidentifications in the past. Large populations occurs on Crymlyn Burrows in seasonally flooded muddy ground where it grows with Lesser Water-plantain (Baldellia ranunculoides) and in a small pond near Pont-rhyd-y fen in the Afan Valley.

Native