Perennial of the Plantaginaceae family, the germander speedwell is one of the most common species in Europe, present from the Atlantic coast to Western Siberia. It colonizes mesophilic meadows, forest edges, hedges, grassy banks, and lawns, from the plains to the mountainous level.
It develops decumbent then ascending stems, 15 to 30 cm in height, remarkable for two longitudinal rows of hairs arranged in opposite lines on the stem, a distinctive feature easily observable with a magnifying glass. The leaves are oval, toothed, rough to the touch, medium green, sessile or very briefly petiolate.
The flowers, borne in loose axillary clusters, are bright sky blue to blue-lilac, with a clear white eye and a darker central stripe on the slightly smaller lower petal. They are ephemeral, falling very easily when picked, which has earned the plant the English name "Bird's-eye speedwell" and, in some popular traditions, the idea that it was unlucky to pick it.
In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from April to June depending on altitude and exposure.
Without particular requirements, it thrives in any ordinary fresh to well-drained soil, in sun or partial shade. It readily naturalizes in natural-style gardens and flowering meadows.