Veronica besseya

Veronica besseya, commonly known as Alpine coral drops[1] and Alpine kitten tails, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the genus Veronica in the family Plantaginaceae.[2]

Veronica besseya
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Plantaginaceae
Genus: Veronica
Species:
V. besseya
Binomial name
Veronica besseya
M.M.Mart.Ort. & Albach
Synonyms[1]
  • Besseya alpina (A.Gray) Rydb.
  • Synthyris alpina A.Gray

Description

Veronica besseya was first discovered for science by Charles Parry in 1861, in the headwaters of South Clear Creek, Colorado.[3]

Range

Endemic to Western North America, with populations found in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.[4]

Habitat and ecology

Veronica besseya is quite diminutive, growing 2-8 inches in height in the alpine tundra of the Rocky Mountains. Leaves and stem range from glabrous (lacking hairs) to densely pilose (with long hairs).[3]

Taxonomy

After its discovery, Veronica besseya was first named Synthyris alpina by Asa Gray. In 1903, it was renamed Besseya alpina by Axel Rydberg.[5] However, it was proposed in 2004 that all Besseya species actually belong in the genus Veronica, the speedwells.[6]

References
  1. "Alpine Coraldrops Veronica besseya" at the Encyclopedia of Life
  2. "Veronica besseya (Alpine Besseya)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  3. "Southwest Colorado Wildflowers, Veronica besseya".
  4. "2013 BONAP North American Plant Atlas. TaxonMaps". bonap.net.
  5. Rydberg, P. A. “Some Generic Segregations.” Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, vol. 30, no. 5, 1903, pp. 271–81. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2478553. Accessed 24 May 2022.
  6. Albach, Dirk C., et al. “A New Classification of the Tribe Veroniceae: Problems and a Possible Solution.” Taxon, vol. 53, no. 2, 2004, pp. 429–52. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/4135620. Accessed 23 May 2022.


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