Digger's Speedwell

Veronica perfoliata is an erect woody herb with arching decumbent branches 120 cm (47 in) long. The leaves are smooth and bluish green with a powdery bloom, about 1.5–5.5 cm (0.59–2.2 in) long and 15–40 mm (0.59–1.6 in) wide. Leaves are either narrow or broad egg-shaped and arranged in opposite pairs, joined to the stem either in a wedge, heart, or stem-clasping configuration. The leaf margin may be entire, finely scalloped or with approximately 10 pairs of rough or shallow sharp teeth. Plants with narrower leaves generally grow in drier situations, whereas the broad-leaf form in wetter cooler locations. Leaves have 3-9 longitudinal veins radiating from the base. Numerous woody stems grow from a rootstock and form a clump, rarely branched below the inflorescence. The inflorescence is a slender raceme, 10–45 cm (3.9–18 in) long with 25–70 flowers per stem. When fruiting the pedicel is 5–12 mm (0.20–0.47 in) long. The smooth calyx lobes are 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) long and 0.5–1 cm (0.20–0.39 in) wide. The individual violet-blue flower petals are 7–12 mm (0.28–0.47 in) long. The seed capsules are egg-shaped 4.5–8.5 mm (0.18–0.33 in) long and 2.8–3.5 mm (0.11–0.14 in) wide. Capsules are barely flattened, dull, and either rounded or sharply pointed. Flowering occurs from October to February.

Digger's speedwell grows at higher altitudes between 530–1,780 m (1,700–5,800 ft) high in mountainous meadows, heath, eucalypt forest, and woodland in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, and Victoria. It grows in similar areas to V. derwentiana but in shallow, often rocky soil on steep slopes rather than deeper soils in shaded sites. The broad range of the species contrasts with the belief that it indicates the presence of gold.

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