Jepson Herbarium
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Annual to shrub, some aquatic.
Leaf: basal or cauline, alternate or opposite ( whorled), simple, entire to dentate or lobed, venation generally pinnate; stipules 0.
Inflorescence: raceme, spike, or flowers axillary in 1–few-flowered clusters; flowers few to many, each subtended by 1 bract.
Flower: unisexual or bisexual, radial or bilateral; sepals 4–5, generally fused at base; corolla 4–5-lobed, scarious or not, persistent or not, generally 2-lipped, upper lip generally 2-lobed, lower generally 3-lobed, spur present or not, tube sac-like at base or not; stamens 2 or 4, alternate corolla lobes, epipetalous, staminode 0 or 1–2, anthers opening by 2 slits; ovary superior, [1]2–4-chambered, style 1, stigma lobes 0 or 2.
Fruit: generally a capsule, septicidal, loculicidal, circumscissile, or dehiscing by terminal slits or pores.
110 genera, ± 2000 species: worldwide, especially temperate. [Angiosperm Phylogeny Group 1998 Ann Missouri Bot Gard 85:531–553; Olmstead et al. 2001 Molec Phylogen Evol 16:96–112] Veronicaceae sensu Olmstead et al. Recently treated to include Callitrichaceae, Hippuridaceae, and most non-parasitic CA genera of Scrophulariaceae (except Buddleja, Limosella, Mimulus, Myoporum, Scrophularia, Verbascum). CA Maurandya moved to Holmgrenanthe and Maurandella. Limnophila ×ludoviciana Thieret an occasional agricultural weed in rice fields. Hebe ×franciscana (Eastw.) Souster, Hebe speciosa (R. Cunn.) Andersen only cultivated. —Scientific Editors: Robert Patterson, Bruce G. Baldwin.

Key to Plantaginaceae

Annual, perennial herb.
Stem: erect or prostrate.
Leaf: cauline, opposite, sessile to short-petioled.
Inflorescence: raceme, terminal or axillary, or flowers 1 in axils; bracts small, alternate.
Flower: sepals generally 4(5), ± free, generally unequal; corolla ± radial, ± rotate, generally 4-lobed, tube << lobes, upper lobe wide (perhaps formed by fusion of upper pair), blue or violet to white; stamens 2, exserted; stigma unlobed.
Fruit: flattened perpendicular to septum, generally obcordate, loculicidal and septicidal.
± 250 species: n temperate, especially Eurasia. (Named for Saint Veronica) Veronica beccabunga L., Veronica chamaedrys L. not in CA; Veronica filiformis Sm., Veronica hederifolia L. occasionally as lawn weeds. Plants from MP resembling Veronica persica reported as Veronica biloba L. (bracts < leaves, style < 1 mm).
Unabridged references: [Albach et al. 2005 Amer J Bot 92:297–315; Olmstead et al. 2001 Amer J Bot 88:348–361]

Perennial, rhizomed, ± hairy.
Stem: decumbent, erect at tips only, 5–30 cm.
Leaf: 10–25 mm, elliptic to widely ovate, entire to crenate, tip obtuse.
Inflorescence: racemes terminal, glandular-hairy; pedicels 2.5–7 mm.
Flower: sepals 2.5–4 mm, ± equal, oblong to ovate; corolla 6–7 mm, bright blue; style 2–3 mm.
Fruit: 2.8–3.7 mm, wider than long, ± glandular-hairy; notch 0.3–0.8 mm.
Seed: 0.5 mm, flat.
2n=14,28. Moist streambanks, lakeshores, meadows; < 3200 m. Northwestern California, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, Central Coast, San Francisco Bay Area, San Bernardino Mountains, East of Sierra Nevada;

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Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].

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Bioregions in which taxon occurs	Red area (if present) is the part of the bioregion lying between the upper and lower elevation limits of the taxon; markers link to CCH specimen records. If the markers are obscured, reload the page [or change window size and reload]. Yellow markers indicate records that may have georeferencing or identification issues.
Chart based on elevation range in Manual and elevations and coordinates of CCH records. Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria. Note: About half of the CCH records include both elevation and coordinates.	Map made in collaboration with Scott Loarie. Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria. View all CCH records   CCH collections by month Duplicates counted once; synonyms included. Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa. Blue line denotes Manual flowering time.