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
Saharima Roenisch
Swithland Wood
01 May 2017
David Nicholls
Ratby, Wirlybones Wood
15 May 2022
Alan Semper
Stathern, Terrace Hills
17 May 2015
stepgray4
Ulverscroft NR
16 May 2021
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
Enter a town or village to see local records
MAP KEY:
Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020
UK Map
Species profile
- Common names
- Wood Speedwell
- Species group:
- flowering plant
- Kingdom:
- Plantae
- Order:
- Lamiales
- Family:
- Plantaginaceae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 66
- First record:
- 28/04/2011 (Calow, Graham)
- Last record:
- 04/06/2025 (Higgott, Mike)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
10km squares with records
The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.
In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.
Latest images
Latest records
Peter Smith
Launde Big Wood
23 April 2017
Yellow-green leaves
Melinda Bell
Burbage,Elmsthorpe Plantation
05 May 2022
stepgray4
Ulverscroft NR
16 May 2021
HAPeacock
The Orchards
19 June 2012
David Nicholls
Sheet Hedges Wood
02 May 2014
David Nicholls
Sheet Hedges Wood
23 April 2020
Phytomyza crassiseta
The larva of the Agromyzid fly Phytomyza crassiseta mines the leaves of Veronica and Hebe species such as Germander Speedwell, Wood Speedwell and Heath Speedwell, producing a narrow mine which follows the leaf margin, then turns and forms a secondary blotch. It can form blotch mines away from the leaf margin as well.
Wood Speedwell Rust
Wood Speedwell Rust (Puccinia veronicae) affects only Wood Speedwell, causing galls. There is no host alternation, and only telia are produced. The telia are light cinnamon-coloured often in circles on slightly thickened brown leaf spots.