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 was first discovered for science by Charles Parry in 1861, in the headwaters of South Clear Creek, Colorado.[3]
Endemic to Western North America, with populations found in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.[4]
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]
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]
Veronica besseya, commonly known as Alpine coral drops and Alpine kitten tails, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the genus Veronica in the family Plantaginaceae.
