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Veronica beccabunga - L.                  
                   
Common Name Brooklime
Family Scrophulariaceae
Synonyms
Known Hazards None known
Habitats In streams, ditches, ponds and wet places in meadows, in acid or alkaline soils[9, 17].
Range Europe, incl Britain, from Norway south and east to N. Africa, temperate Asia to Japan and Himalayas
Edibility Rating  
Medicinal Rating  
Care
Fully Hardy Wet Soil Water Plants Semi-shade Full sun

Summary        

Physical Characteristics        
 icon of manicon of flower
PERENNIAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft).
It is hardy to zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from May to September, and the seeds ripen from Jul to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Flies, bees, self.The plant is self-fertile.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.


The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils..It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.It requires wet soil and can grow in water.



  
Habitats        
Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Pond; Bog Garden;
Edible Uses                                          
Edible Parts: Leaves.

Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 4, 5, 115]. They can be added to salads, mixed with water cress or cooked with other strongly flavoured greens[9, 183]. A pungent flavour, although the leaves are wholesome they are not very palatable[4, 12].
Medicinal Uses


Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Alterative;  Antiscorbutic;  Diuretic;  Emmenagogue;  Febrifuge;  Poultice.

The whole plant is alterative, antiscorbutic, very mildly diuretic, emmenagogue and febrifuge[4, 9, 13, 21]. It is of little benefit as a medicinal herb, but has a beneficial laxative effect when included in the diet[9]. The leaves are used in the treatment of scurvy, impurity of the blood etc[240]. The plant is bruised and applied externally as a politic on burns, ulcers, whitlows, etc[240].
Other Uses
None known
Cultivation details                                          
Easily grown in a moderately fertile wet soil, growing best in water up to 15cm deep[24, 200]. Prefers cool summers[200]. Plants do not demand high light levels[200]. A good bee plant[24].
                                                                                   
Propagation                                          
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].
Expert comment                                          
 
       
Author                                          
L.
                                                                                   
Botanical References                                          
17200
                                                                                   
Links / References                                          

  [K] Ken Fern Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[2]Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
[4]Grieve. A Modern Herbal.
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[5]Mabey. R. Food for Free.
Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.
[9]Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants.
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
[12]Loewenfeld. C. and Back. P. Britain's Wild Larder.
A handy pocket guide.
[13]Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants.
Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.
[17]Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles.
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[21]Lust. J. The Herb Book.
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[24]Baines. C. Making a Wildlife Garden.
Fairly good with lots of ideas about creating wildlife areas in the garden.
[115]Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.
Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.
[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[240]Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement).
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

Readers comment                                          
 
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Subject : Veronica beccabunga  
               

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