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Veronica serpyllifolia

Veronica serpyllifolia

9.9
A low plant with small leaves and tiny blue flowers that grows close to the ground
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Verónica serpyllifolia
  • Gardeners sometimes appreciate Veronica serpyllifolia for its ground-covering ability and delicate flowers.

Examples

  • Veronica serpyllifolia often carpets the damp meadows with its tiny blue blossoms in late spring.

  • Botanists surveyed the area and recorded a dense population of Veronica serpyllifolia along the riverbanks.

  • The Veronica serpyllifolia blooms beautifully in early spring.

  • Many gardeners love Veronica serpyllifolia for its vibrant blue flowers.

  • Veronica serpyllifolia often carpets the damp meadows with its tiny blue blossoms in late spring.

  • Gardeners sometimes appreciate Veronica serpyllifolia for its ground-covering ability and delicate flowers.

  • Botanists surveyed the area and recorded a dense population of Veronica serpyllifolia along the riverbanks.

Synonyms

thyme-leaved speedwell
vsVeronica serpyllifolia
9.9

A low spreading plant with small leaves and blue flowers

uses New World rather than Americas to describe its western distribution

Surface Forms

Morphology

veronica + serpyllifolia

This is a scientific binomial: 'Veronica' names the plant genus (so signals a type of plant) but 'serpyllifolia' is a Latin species epithet not known to an average B1 learner and not an ordinary English word. Because the specific descriptive element is specialized/Latin and not transparently decomposable by learners who only know common English words, the overall name’s meaning is not predictable from the constituents.

Etymology

Veronica serpyllifolia may be named after Saint Veronica and the Latin parts serpylli and folia, which mean 'thyme' and 'leaves'. Because its tiny leaves look like thyme and it grows low like a carpet of small blue flowers, that's why Veronica serpyllifolia is remembered as a low, 'thyme-leaved' herb today.