Tea Veronica

Tea Veronica
Veronica chamaedrys

Appearance : The tea speedwell is the largest-flowered of our common speedwells. The bright blue flowers are in a sparse cluster that emerges from the leaf crease. The leaves are almost stalkless and rather roughly serrated. The flower has a short, open spout and a brim of four leaves.
Favorite environment : Pastures, groves, gardens.
Distribution : Common up to Värmland and Ångermanland.
Flowering time : A short period in late spring or early summer.
Fruit and seeds : The 3–4 mm long fruit is flat and heart-shaped. It splits open during the summer and the seeds fall out. The approximately 1 mm long seeds attract ants by their appearance, which drag them away with them, thus contributing to the spread of the plant.
Characteristics : The top petal of the flower is larger than the two side petals, the bottom petal is smaller than the side petals. Among veronicas, the tea veronica has one of the largest flowers. The Ärenpris has pale blue flowers that are in denser clusters.
Close relatives : Common rush, stream veronica, forest veronica, garden veronica.
Fun fact: The Veronica genus has over 240 species, 80 of which are found in Europe alone. Tea veronica is also called tea-flower. The plant gets its name from the fact that tea can be made from the leaves.