Veronica spicata Spiked Speedwell

A perennial speedwell which occurs as two ecologically distinct subspecies in Britain. Veronica spicata ssp. spicata grows in short grasslands in eastern England on soils derived from glacial drift. Veronica spicata ssp. hybrida is found in the west of England and Wales and grows on calcareous soils, usually on limestone, in grassland and on coastal sea cliffs, rocky slopes and ledges. Both are probably relics of the steppe-tundra flora that prevailed in Britain after the last ice age and which have since become disjunct into western and eastern populations. It is an attractive plant which grows from leafy rosettes to produce dense spikes of blue flowers. It is very rare in West Glamorgan and confined to the limestone cliffs of south Gower where it is scarce, with most populations west of Port Eynon. Flora of Glamorgan tells us that it was probably first discovered in Gower prior to 1907 but was not known there for certain until 1937.

Native