Wood Speedwell - Veronica montana

Low to short often sprawling softly hairy plant. Stems hairy all round, leaves deeply toothed and long stalked rather pale yellowy green. Flowers pale lilac with darker streaks.

Look out for: Wood Speedwell Rust Puccinia veronicae.

Other speedwells, especially V. officinalis, V. chamaedrys.

It can be distinguished from Germander Speedwell by having leaves on stalks.

Flowers in axillary racemes (i.e a flower spike, with several individual flowers along it, grows from the leaf axils, where leaves join the main stem).  Stems hairy all round.  Leaf with stalks (petioles).

Can't be identified with confidence from a close-up photo of the flower or from seed capsules alone; a general photo and details of leaves, stems and flower spikes are needed

Damp woodland and shaded places.

April to July.

Perennial

Fairly frequent and widespread over much of Britain except for the far north of Scotland.

In the current Checklist (Jeeves, 2011) it is listed as native, old woodland; locally frequent