FLORA OF ICELAND elements: Veronica anagallis-aquatica, Water Speedwell, Laugadepla

Veronica anagallis-aquatica; The Water Speedwell is herbal perennial surviving winter with submerged buds. It can grow up to 50cm tall.
  - The stems and leaves are glabrous but the raceme stems and flower pedicels have small glandular hairs. The leaves are rather glossy and ovate to broadly elliptic. They are up to 8cm long.
  - The flowers are pink-colored with fine purple veins and a white and/or purple throat. Like most other speedwells there is a pair of opposite petals in which one is slightly larger and the other slightly smaller than the two other petals. The Water Speedwell has opposite racemes from the axil's of the leaf pairs, a trait that is unique to the Icelandic speedwells.
  - The plants usually grow in thermal water. The species is very rare on Iceland, confined to some thermal areas in the south-west. One locality is at a busy tourist site.
  - The species is member of the Plantaginaceae, the Plantain family. In the past it was included in the Scrophulariaceae family (Figwort family) but genetic research led to the replacing of the Veronica's. The Icelandic name for this species is Laugadepla.