(Veronica americana)
American Speedwell was introduced to North America by the settlers and is now considered an invasive plant. It forms thick mats that spread by vegetative propagation instead of seed and this means that if you have slender speedwell in your lawn, you spread the plant every time you cut the grass.
The small and pretty flowers are light blue and are on top of very thin stems. The flowers have four petals with two stamens along with a single clubbed pistil. This plant grows all over the BC coastal region.
The origin of this flower’s name goes back to the time of Jesus, it is said that as Jesus was carrying the cross, Saint Veronica took pity on him and wiped his forehead with her kerchief, when she looked at the kerchief, it had his likeness in perfection on it. The kerchief was kept in the Vatican, but her name has been applied to the flower Speedwell, the Latin name is Veronica americana, and it is a common flower seen by the pious who walk the path Jesus walked. The common name Speedwell is said to come from the old blessing “godspeed”.