SPEEDWELL, a genus (Veronica) of annual and perennial herbs and shrubs of the family Scrophulariaceæ. The 200 species are mostly natives of the north temperate zone; some, mostly shrubby, are tropical or subtropical, and others are Australian. They are found in all kinds of soils, and many are cultivated in gardens for their beautiful white, blue or pink flowers arranged in axillary or terminal racemes. The taller-growing kinds are used mainly as border plants, the dwarfed in rock-gardens; the shrubby kinds are ever-blooming in California. Some of the species were formerly reputed medicinal, and some were used as substitutes for tea.