# Brooklime (*Veronica beccabunga*)

Brooklime is a lovely green plant that grows near water. It has small, pretty flowers that can be blue or purple, and it likes to live in wet places like streams and ponds.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Wetlands

![Brooklime](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Veronica_beccabunga_plant2.jpg&width=800)

Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Veronica_beccabunga_plant2.jpg)

## Appearance

The Brooklime is a vibrant green plant with glossy, succulent-like leaves and hollow stems, often partially submerged. It produces small, bright blue-purple flowers, each with a distinctive white eye, clustered on upright stalks.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Lamiales
- **Family:** Plantaginaceae
- **Genus:** Veronica

## Interesting facts

- Brooklime can stay green and healthy even when completely underwater for a short time.
- Its scientific name, 'beccabunga', might come from an old word for 'mouth-salad'!
- Some people call it 'Water Pimpernel' because its flowers are tiny and lovely.
- Tiny seeds of Brooklime can float like boats to find new wet places to grow!

## Special abilities

- **Water-Loving Wanderer:** Brooklime can grow with its roots in flowing water, using hollow stems to stay afloat and reach sunlight.
- **Resilient River Hugger:** Its robust, spreading roots help anchor it firmly in soft mud, preventing it from being washed away by currents.
- **Leafy Oxygen Factory:** Underwater leaves produce oxygen bubbles, helping other water creatures breathe and thrive in its habitat.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 10-40 cm
- **Spread:** 30-60 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.5-1 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Late Spring to Early Fall
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Eats:** Great Pond Snail (*Lymnaea stagnalis*) — Snails graze on its lush green leaves in water.
- **Eaten by:** Mallard (*Anas platyrhynchos*) — Ducks might nibble on its leaves and stems near water.
- **Pollinates:** European Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Bees visit its small blue flowers for nectar and pollen.
- **Shelter:** Freshwater Shrimp (*Gammarus pulex*) — Its dense stems provide hiding places for tiny aquatic creatures.

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period.
- [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.
- [Freshwater](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/freshwater): Freshwater habitats include non-saline aquatic environments such as rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands, vital for numerous species.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always wash your hands after touching plants, and don't eat any plants unless an adult says it's safe.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Brooklime?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Brooklime?

10-40 cm

### How wide does Brooklime spread?

30-60 cm

### How big are the flowers on Brooklime?

0.5-1 cm

### When does Brooklime bloom?

Late Spring to Early Fall

### Is Brooklime edible?

Yes

### Is Brooklime toxic?

None

### What is Brooklime's lifecycle?

Perennial

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Brooklime: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brooklime)