Foothills, montane. Openings, wetlands. Spring, summer.
Western San Juan National Forest, June 3, 2015.

Veronica peregrina is a native annual usually growing just 3-6 inches tall, often in masses in moist to wet ground. The plant commonly branches a number of times just above ground level. Corollas are just 3 mm wide, have pedicels .5 -1.5 mm long (slightly elongating in fruit), and are subtended by one leafy bract.

With a careful look through a hand lens (or an examination of a close-up photograph), you can see that both the petals and sepals are united at their bases and are not quite equal in length.

This species of Veronica is especially set apart from others by its white corolla and its heart-shaped capsule with just a nub of a style protruding (see the last photograph below).

Linnaeus named this genus and species in 1753 from collections made in Europe. Intermountain Flora indicates that the genus name is of "doubtful origin, possibly in honor of St. Veronica". "Peregrina" is Latin for "wandering". "Xalapensis" is for xalapa, Mexico, the subspecies' type locale. This supspecies is found from Alaska to Mexico.

Foothills, montane. Openings, wetlands. Spring, summer.
Western San Juan National Forest, June 3, 2015.

You can see that the upper corolla petal is longer than the other three. Also note the glistening glandular hairs, even more noticeable in the above photograph.

Foothills, montane. Openings, wetlands. Spring, summer.
Western San Juan National Forest, June 3, 2015.

Red arrows point to several characteristics of this species: the top left arrow points to the minute nub of a style. The two-headed arrow points to two lobes of the corolla and you can see that the two are united at their base. The bottom arrow points to a leaf-like bract that you will find subtending each flower.

In the far right center is a heart-shaped seed capsule. Each capsule contains many pale yellow seeds.

As minute as these plants are, each produces several dozen seed capsules so we can see why there are thickets of plants, such as those shown at the top of the page.

Range map © John Kartesz,
Floristic Synthesis of North America

State Color Key

Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state

County Color Key

Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Native species, but adventive in state
Eradicated
Questionable presence

Range map for Veronica peregrina ssp. xalapensis