Gravel Veronica

Family Scrophulariaceae. Grows in the Far East and in Japan.

It has a long rhizome by which it anchors itself on gravelly soil, and leathery, dark-green leaves pressed to the ground. Height of the ascending stems 20–25 cm. Flowers are pale blue in a long raceme. Blooms in June–July; lighter flowering may continue into autumn. The species has been introduced into cultivation relatively recently.