Veronica filiformis (Slender speedwell)

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Veronica filiformis Sm.

Slender speedwell, threadstalk speedwell, creeping speedwell

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Lamiales	Aromatic herbs and shrubs, including lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, ash, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, mint, basil, and rosemary
Family	Plantaginaceae	Plantains
Genus	Veronica	For Saint Veronica, said to have given Jesus a cloth to wipe his face on the way to Calvary, and named because of a supposed resemblence between markings on some Veronica species and her sacred handkerchief
Species	filiformis	Thread-like

About plant names...

Slender speedwell is a native of Turkey and the Caucasus, and it has now become naturalized in parts of Europe and North America. It appears to be rather underappreciated on the web, even though it has cool chemicals in it,^[1] in part because it has a habit of out-competing grass in lawns ... like mine. There is some evidence that some of these chemicals are natural pesticides, clearing the way for the spread of the speedwell. I found more articles on getting rid of it than I did describing it. Personally, though, I like it better than I like the lawn.

Identification: Slender speedwell generally keeps a low profile, low enough to escape the mower blades. It produces large numbers of blue-violet flowers ¼-½" (6.3-12 mm) across. Flowers have four petals, dark blue-violet stripes, and yellow-white centers.

Online References:

Web.ncf.ca

Wikipedia

Ontario Wildflowers

Wildflowers of Ireland

¹Such as isoscutellarein 4′-methyl ether 7-O-β-(6-O-acetyl-2″-O-allosylglucoside—how cool is that?

Veronica filiformis description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.