Common Name: Brooklime

General Information

Veronica beccabunga is a herbaceous perennial plant growing from a long, oblique, horizontal rootstock. The stem is generally branched, ascending, or erect in the upper part, rooting at the base; the plant can grow 10 - 60cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and food.
This species is widespread, able to exploit anthropogenic habitats and does not face any major threats. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Eurasia - Norway to Portugal, east to central Asia, west Siberia, Mongolia, China. Himalayas; N. Africa - Macaronesia, Morocco to Egypt

Habitat

In streams, ditches, ponds and wet places in meadows, in acid or alkaline soils[, ]. On banks of rivers, irrigation canals, lakes, in marshes, damp places, distributed in mountains up to the alpine zone[]..

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.40 m
Pollinators	Flies, bees, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Easily grown in a moderately fertile wet soil, growing best in water up to 15cm deep[, ]. Prefers cool summers[]. Plants do not demand high light levels[].
A good bee plant[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[, , , ]. They can be added to salads, mixed with water cress or cooked with other strongly flavoured greens[, ]. A pungent flavour, although the leaves are wholesome they are not very palatable[, ].

Medicinal

The whole plant is alterative, antiscorbutic, very mildly diuretic, emmenagogue and febrifuge[, , , ]. It is of little benefit as a medicinal herb, but has a beneficial laxative effect when included in the diet[]. The leaves are used in the treatment of scurvy, impurity of the blood etc[]. The plant is bruised and applied externally as a politic on burns, ulcers, whitlows, etc[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow autumn in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
If you have sufficient, the seed can be sown in situ in the spring or the autumn.
Division at almost any time in the growing season. Very easy, even a small part of the plant will root if put in water[].