Practical
Plants

Veronica beccabunga

Brooklime

a perennial member of the Veronica genus in the family Scrophulariaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.6 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Flies, Bees, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Flies, Bees, Self

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves - raw or cooked[6][11][12][1]. They can be added to salads, mixed with water cress or cooked with other strongly flavoured greens[13][5]. A pungent flavour, although the leaves are wholesome they are not very palatable[11][2].

Plant part
Leaves

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The whole plant is alterative, antiscorbutic, very mildly diuretic, emmenagogue and febrifuge[11][13][3][8]. It is of little benefit as a medicinal herb, but has a beneficial laxative effect when included in the diet[13]. The leaves are used in the treatment of scurvy, impurity of the blood etc[10]. The plant is bruised and applied externally as a politic on burns, ulcers, whitlows, etc[10].

Product or use
Alterative
Product or use
Antiscorbutic
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Emmenagogue
Product or use
Febrifuge
Product or use
Poultice

Environment

Range
Europe, incl Britain, from Norway south and east to N. Africa, temperate Asia to Japan and Himalayas
Habitat
In streams, ditches, ponds and wet places in meadows, in acid or alkaline soils[13][4].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
aquatic
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow autumn in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. If you have sufficient, the seed can be sown in situ in the spring or the autumn. Division at almost any time in the growing season. Very easy, even a small part of the plant will root if put in water[K].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Easily grown in a moderately fertile wet soil, growing best in water up to 15cm deep[9][7]. Prefers cool summers[7]. Plants do not demand high light levels[7]. A good bee plant[9].

References

  1. Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.

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  2. Loewenfeld. C. and Back. P. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles ISBN 0-7153-7971-2

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  3. Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-600-33545-3

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  4. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

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  5. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

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  6. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

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  7. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

  8. Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-553-23827-2

    ↩

  9. Baines. C. Making a Wildlife Garden.

    ↩1↩2

  10. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  11. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  12. Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974-00-00 ISBN 0-00-219060-5

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  13. Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-600-37216-2

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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