The Violet Jewel of Rocky Pastures

Habit: Perennial plant 10–55 cm tall, supported by a long and robust creeping rhizome. Stem: Erect, unbranched at the base, with a characteristic covering of dense stiff hairs that give it a rough appearance. Leaves: Decussate, opposite in pairs, with each pair rotated by ninety degrees relative to the next. The margin is typically crenate or obtusely toothed. The lower leaves have a short petiole and are broader, while the upper ones are sessile and narrower. Flowers: Gathered in a very dense and elongated apical raceme, spike-like in appearance. The corolla is an intense blue-violet, composed of 4 unequal lobes. Its diameter ranges between 4 and 8 mm, with a corolla tube visibly longer than in other Veronica species. Fruits: A subglobose capsule 3–4 mm long, characterised by a hairy-glandular surface. Flowering: June–August.

Chorological type: East-Alpine / Carpathian. Distribution in Italy: Present in the regions of northern Italy, excluding the northwestern ones, and along the continental Apennine chain. Habitat: It prefers xerophilous, dry environments such as arid pastures, poor meadows, stony areas, and open bright thickets, from the lowlands up to 1000 m a.s.l.

Generic name (Veronica): Although the origin is debated, the most evocative hypothesis joins the Latin and Greek words vera icon, true image, linking it to the legend of Saint Veronica. Specific name (barrelieri): In honour of Jacques Barrelier, Dominican friar and eminent seventeenth-century botanist who explored and illustrated the Mediterranean flora.

Like many other species of the genus Veronica, Barrelier’s speedwell contains iridoids such as aucubin and phenolic compounds. Although it is not the most used species in herbal medicine, a primacy belonging to Veronica officinalis, speedwells in folk medicine were employed for their expectorant, depurative, diuretic, and vulnerary properties. Today its value is mainly ecological and ornamental, being highly appreciated in rock gardens thanks to its spectacular blue flowering and drought resistance.