Family |
Plantaginaceae
Veronica anagallis-aquatica subsp. lysimachioides
(Boiss.) M.A.Fisch.
Veronica anagallis-aquatica subsp. lysimachioides (Boiss.) M.A.Fisch.
(in Fl. Iranica 147: 154; 1981 – basionym: Veronica lysimachioides Boiss., Diagn. Pl. Orient. ser. 1, 10: 59; 1849 – Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, Pl. CCXLV nº 3; 1969)
• Life-form & habit: Perennial, semi-aquatic or mesophytic herb, 20–70 cm tall, with creeping or ascending stems that root at the lower nodes. Stems hollow, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, branched above, often forming loose colonies along water margins.
• Leaves: Opposite, sessile or shortly petiolate, ovate to oblong-lanceolate, 3–10 × 1–4 cm, coarsely serrate, glabrous or with sparse hairs along veins; upper leaves often clasping the stem with rounded auricles.
• Inflorescence & flowers: Axillary or terminal racemes, 5–15 cm long, many-flowered. Pedicels slender, 2–4 mm long, erect to spreading in flower, reflexed in fruit. Calyx segments 4, lanceolate, glabrous or ciliate on the margin. Corolla rotate, 5–8 mm wide, blue to lilac with darker veins, rarely white; upper lobe largest, lower lobe narrower. Stamens 2, exserted; style slender, stigma small and capitate.
• Fruit: Capsule broadly ovoid, flattened, 3–4 mm long, emarginate at the apex; seeds numerous, flattened, light brown, finely reticulate.
• Phenology: Flowers and fruits from April to October, depending on humidity and altitude.
• Habitat & elevation: Margins of streams, irrigation channels, springs, and marshy meadows; 200–1 800 m. Prefers humid, nutrient-rich soils, occasionally submerged in shallow water.
• Lebanese distribution: Frequent in humid valleys and montane watercourses — recorded by Mouterde from Nahr es-Safa, Barouk, Dahr el-Baïdar, Ain Zhalta, and the Beqaa; sometimes accompanying Veronica anagallis-aquatica subsp. anagallis-aquatica but differing by its broader, shorter leaves and thicker stems.
• Native to: Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Türkiye, Transcaucasus, Afghanistan, and neighbouring montane regions of the Irano-Turanian zone.
• ⚠️ Taxonomic note: Distinguished from the nominate subsp. anagallis-aquatica by its broader, ovate leaves, shorter, denser racemes, and robust, thicker stems. This subspecies was first described by Boissier as Veronica lysimachioides, based on Lebanese and Syrian material, and later reclassified by M.A. Fischer (1981) under V. anagallis-aquatica. In Lebanon, it is a characteristic element of montane riparian vegetation, often forming mixed stands with Mentha longifolia and Apium nodiflorum.