Veronica laxa

Veronica laxa or hiyokusou (scientific name: Veronica laxa) is a perennial herb native to Japan, China, India, and Pakistan, belonging to the family Plantaginaceae. It grows wild in sunny locations in grasslands and forest margins in mountainous areas from Hokkaido to Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu in Japan. The grass is 50 to 80 cm tall, with several thin stems erect from rhizomes. The entire grass, especially the stems and sepals, are densely covered with white hairs. From June to July, a pair of narrow inflorescences 5-20 cm long are produced obliquely from the upper leaf axils, bearing sparse clusters of small pale blue-purple to pale red-purple flowers about 0.8 cm in diameter.

Common name: Veronica laxa, scientific name:Veronica laxa, synonym: Veronica melissifolia,habitat: Japan, China, India, Pakistan, living environment: Hokkaido, Japan to Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, Japan; Height: 50-80 cm; Leaf shape: ovate; Leaf length: 2-5 cm; Leaf width: 1-3 cm; Leaf sides: hairy; Leaf margin: toothed; Inflorescence: opposite; Flower Inflorescence: raceme; Inflorescence length: 5-20 cm; Flower color: pale blue-violet to pale red-violet; Corolla: dish-shaped, deeply lobed; Flowering site: June to August, 2012 Leaf axils; Flowering season: June-July; Diameter: 0.6-0.8 cm; Number of stamens: 2, number of pistils: 1; Fruit type: capsule.