American Speedwell

To me, this plant's common name sounds like the model name for a bike made in the 1950's. Actually, there was a ship by the name of Speedwell, built in 1577. It was later paired with the famous Mayflower to transport pilgrims to the new land. However, the Speedwell began leaking, so it returned to Plymouth in August 1620. The Mayflower took some of Speedwell's passengers and went on to cross the Atlantic, as we all know. Then in 1656 a ship named Speedwell did actually make it to Boston!

But wait, this blog is about wildflowers, not ships! Well there is a small tie-in here; both ships are flower names, the Mayflower being the state flower of Massachusetts and the Speedwell being the namesake for our little blue flower, as well as about ten other related species in Oregon.

American Speedwell (Veronica americana) was unknown to me until today (10/11/2013). Al-the-Dal, our family dog, was walking me around Rood Bridge Park to take in the fall colors. We did see some good colors on the maples and alders in the park; also saw a few wild cyclamens (see my post on them). It was not until Al got thirsty and pulled me over to a small man-made creek that runs through the park that I noticed these mint-like leaves with tiny blue flowers. By tiny, I mean about the size of the nail on your little finger!

This species is one of nearly 500 Veronicas, that are members of the Plantain family. It is native to Asia and North America and grows in every state in the lower 48, except in the southeast. 

American Speedwell is edible and nutritious and is reported to have a flavor similar to watercress. Native Americans used Veronica species as an expectorant tea to alleviate bronchial congestion associated with asthma and allergies. Historically, the broader family of Speedwells were known as healing aids, hence the common name. 

The tiny blue flowers emerge on opposite stems.

The leaves resemble mints in size and color.