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Veronica polita Fr., Grey Field-speedwell

Account Summary

Introduction, neophyte, rare. Eurosiberian southern-temperate, widely naturalised in N Europe, N America and New Zealand.

1934; Praeger, R.Ll.; Co Fermanagh.

April to September.

Growth form, identification and preferred habitats

This is another small, creeping, annual weed, c 10 cm tall, of damp to dry, fertile, cultivated soil found mainly in lowland gardens and on paths and walls. V. polita is similar to V. persica (Common Field-speedwell) but it has smaller, short-stalked, oval, grey-green leaves that are coarsely toothed, and short-stalked, solitary, axillary flowers, 4-8 mm diameter, that are a uniform dark or bright blue with a prominent white eye (Salisbury 1964). The flowering period stretches from March to November and while flowers are visited and pollinated by small flies and other Diptera, they may also self-pollinate (Fitter 1987).

V. polita is slightly more xerophytic and drought tolerant than V. persica (Common Field-speedwell) and it can grow in a variety of soils but prefers less acidic, light, sandy or more calcareous soils than V. agrestis (Green Field-speedwell). Indeed, across its whole distribution, it occurs mostly on calcareous soils. Like V. agrestis, in past years it too was a frequent or common ruderal, weed species, recorded from every Irish VC (Cen Cat Fl Ir 2). It colonised cultivated, disturbed and waste ground and previously also grew on railway tracks. Its established strategy is categorised as R/SR, meaning it is intermediate between a straight Ruderal and a Stress-tolerant Ruderal (Grime et al. 1988, 2007).

However, V. polita has been in decline for some time and has now become scarce or a rarity, probably like V. agrestis, due to the widespread use of herbicides and fertilisers associated with the intensification of agriculture and its horticultural spinoff (FNEI 3; Flora of Co Dublin).

Fermanagh occurrence

The Fermanagh Flora Database contains records from seven tetrads, five of which have post-1975 records. The remaining record details are: Kiltierney Deerpark, 1951, MCM & D; railway near Kilturk Td, 1951, MCM & D; wayside in plantation wood, Florencecourt, 7 April 1990, RHN (and again in September 1992 and May 2004); Belleisle Estate, 27 June 1992, RHN; Killreagh House, near Tamlaght, 6 April 1996, RHN; garden at Portora School, 23 April 1996, RHN; and grounds of Carlton Hotel, Erne bridge, Belleek, 12 July 2006, RHN.

As the tetrad map shows, the sites are widely scattered across the VC, with a slight concentration around Enniskillen, the largest conurbation in the county.

British and Irish occurrence

The New Atlas hectad map shows V. polita widespread in both B & I, but very much less frequent and patchier across Ireland. The pattern and spread of recent records makes it very obvious that V. polita is declining in N England and Scotland as well as in Ireland and it remains frequent and widespread only in S & E England and in Wales (A. Horsfall, in: Preston et al. 2002).

Species revised status

V. polita, together with V. agrestis, Centaurea cyanus (Cornflower) and Scandix pecten-veneris (Shepherd's-needle), are among the list of 41 species whose status Webb (1985) suggested require reassessment and which might well turn out to be best regarded as introductions to B & I. The current author (RSF) is pleased to see that the editors of the New Atlas have agreed with Prof Webb, and now recognise V. polita as an ancient introduction to B & I, ie it is an archaeophyte that was first recorded from the wild in Britain in 1777 (A. Horsfall, in: Preston et al. 2002).

European and world occurrence

The distribution of V. polita is similar to that of V. agrestis. The species probably originated in C & S Europe and adjacent parts of N Africa and W Asia, but it has spread as a weed of cultivation to N Europe, N America and New Zealand (Hultén & Fries 1986, Map 1658). It has its present day centre of variation in the Elburz mountain range in N Iran and was probably native to open places in deciduous montane forests, before becoming a weed in Neolithic times and migrating to Europe (Fischer 1987).

Names

The Latin specific epithet 'polita' means 'elegant, polished, refined or neat' from 'polio', 'polish' (Gilbert-Carter 1964; Stearn 1992). It is not clear to the current author (RSF) to which part of the plant this allusion might refer.

Threats

None.