Common Name:

General Information

Veronica spuria is a herbaceous perennial plant growing from a creeping rootstock. It forms a cluster of erect stems that are branched above, growing 30 - 120cm tall[].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food, usually only in times of extreme need.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Eurasia - Estonia to Austria, east to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, western Siberia and Mongolia

Habitat

Mountain slopes and steppes; at elevations around. 1,100 metres in NW Xinjiang province, China[]. Damp and dry meadows, steppes and forest-steppes, along slopes, river banks, mixed-grass meadows[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.50 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Species in this genus are generally easily grown in a moderately fertile moisture retentive well drained soil[]. Prefers cool summers[].

Edible Uses

Leaves and young shoots - raw or cooked. A famine food, they are only used when all else fails[].

Medicinal

None known

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 quantity the seed can be sown outdoors in situ in the autumn or the spring.
Division in autumn or spring[]. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.