Veronica virginica L.
Synonym: Leptandra virginica (L.) Nutt.
Other common names: Culvers-root, blackroot, bowmansroot, beaumont root, Brinton root, tall speedwell, tall veronica, physic-root, whorlywort.
Habitat and range: This common native herb is found abundantly in moist rich woods, mountain valleys, meadows, and thickets from Nova Scotia to British Columbia and south to Alabama, Missouri, and Nebraska.
Description: Culvers-physic is a tall, slender-stemmed herb from 3 to 7 feet in height. The long, narrow, pointed leaves, which are arranged around the stem at intervals, in groups of from three to nine, are 3 to 6 inches in length and 1 inch or less in width. The tube-shaped flowers, produced from June to September, are borne in several densely crowded, slender, terminal, spikelike heads from 3 to 9 inches long. The flowers are usually white, but at times are pink to bluish or purple.
Part used: The rootstock and roots, collected in the fall of the second year.
