pimpernel (Plants of Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve)

pimpernel

Anagallis arvensis

Summary ⁷

Scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis; also known as red pimpernel, red chickweed, poorman's barometer, poor man's weather-glass,shepherd's weather glass or shepherd's clock) is a low-growing annual plant. The native range of the species is Europe and Western and North Africa. The species has been distributed widely by humans, either deliberately as an ornamental flower or accidentally.A. arvensis is now naturalised almost worldwide, with a range that encompasses The Americas, Central and East Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, Malesia,...

Description ⁸

Herbs annual or biennial, 10--30 cm tall. Stems quadrangular, short winged on ridges, usually branched from base. Leaves opposite, occasionally in whorls of 3, sessile, ovate to narrowly ovate, 7--18(--25) X 3--12(--15) mm, minutely glandular punctate mainly abaxially, base subrounded, margin entire, apex obtuse or acute. Pedicel recurved in fruit, 2--3 cm. Calyx lobes linear-lanceolate, 3.5--6 mm, hyaline margined, apex long acuminate, costate. Corolla blue or red, rotate, 4--6 mm, parted nearly to base; lobes obovate-elliptic, 2.7--3 mm wide, margin entire to denticulate. Stamens 1/3--1/2 as long as corolla; filaments pubescent. Style ca. 1.5 mm. Capsule ca. 3.5 mm in diam. 2n = 22, 28, 40@.