Leaves are either narrow or broad egg-shaped and arranged in opposite pairs, joined to the stem either in a wedge, heart, or stem-clasping configuration.

The leaf margin may be entire, finely scalloped or with approximately 10 pairs of rough or shallow sharp teeth.

Plants with narrower leaves generally grow in drier situations, whereas the broad-leaf form in wetter cooler locations.

[2][3][4][5] Robert Brown first formally described the species in 1810, using V. perfoliata, in the botanical survey Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae.

[9][10][11] Digger's speedwell grows at higher altitudes between 530–1,780 m (1,700–5,800 ft) high in mountainous meadows, heath, eucalypt forest, and woodland in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, and Victoria.