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''Anagallis arvensis'' (
syn. ''Lysimachia arvensis''), commonly known as the scarlet pimpernel, red pimpernel, red chickweed, poor man's barometer, poor man's weather-glass,
shepherd's weather glass or shepherd's clock, is a species of low-growing
annual plant with brightly coloured flowers, most often scarlet but also bright blue and sometimes pink. The native range of the species is Europe and
Western Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...
and
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
. 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
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.
Along with th ...
,
Central and
East Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...
, the
Indian Subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
,
Malesia
Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms, and also a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical Kingdom. It has been given different definitions. Th ...
, the
Pacific Islands,
Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologi ...
and
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number o ...
.
Traditionally included in the primrose family
Primulaceae
The Primulaceae , commonly known as the primrose family (but not related to the evening primrose family), are a family of herbaceous and woody flowering plants including some favourite garden plants and wildflowers. Most are perennial though som ...
, the genus ''Anagallis'' was placed in the family
Myrsinaceae
Myrsinoideae is a subfamily of the family Primulaceae in the order Ericales. It was formerly recognized as the family Myrsinaceae, or the myrsine family, consisting of 35 genera and about 1000 species. It is widespread in temperate to tropical ...
full pdf.text
until that family in turn was included in Primulaceae in the
APG III system. The genus ''Anagallis'' is included in ''Lysimachia'' by some authors.
[ C. A. Stace, ''New Flora of the British Isles'', 4th edition 2019, p 549. .]
This common European plant is generally considered a
weed
A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...
and is an indicator of light soils, though it grows opportunistically in
clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
soils as well. The origin of the name ''pimpernel'' comes from late Middle English
400–50 derived from Middle French , from Old French , and ultimately from Vulgar Latin ( 'pepper' + '-ine' + diminutive suffix).
The flower serves as the emblem of the fictional hero
the Scarlet Pimpernel
''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...
.
Description
When found as a summer annual, the scarlet pimpernel has a low-growing creeping habit, but as a winter annual, it forms a half-
rosette with an upright stem. It has weak sprawling stems with square cross-section growing to about long. They bear bright green, soft, ovate sessile leaves in
opposite pairs. The orange, red or blue,
radially symmetric flowers, about in diameter, are produced singly in the leaf axils from spring to autumn. The petal margins are somewhat crenate and have small
glandular hairs. The
stamens have lollipop hairs and therefore attract a variety of
pollinators, especially
flies
Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced m ...
, but the flowers are also capable of autopollination. The
dehiscent capsule fruits ripen from August to October in the
northern hemisphere. The weight of the fruiting body bends the stem, and the seeds are transported by the wind or rain. Blue-flowered plants (''A. arvensis'' Forma ''azurea'') are common in some areas, such as the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
region, and should not be confused with the related blue pimpernel, ''
Anagallis foemina
''Lysimachia foemina'' is commonly known as blue pimpernel or poor man's weatherglass, and was formerly called ''Anagallis foemina''. It is a low-growing annual herbaceous plant in the genus ''Lysimachia'' of the family Primulaceae. In a compar ...
'', sometimes ''Anagallis arvensis'' ssp. ''foemina''. In 2007, a
molecular phylogenetic study showed that ''Anagallis foemina'' is more closely related to ''
Anagallis monelli'' than to ''Anagallis arvensis'', and should be treated as a separate species.
The taxonomy has however not yet been resolved and various authorities propose either the subspecies ''Anagallis arvensis subsp. foemina'' (Mill.) Schinz & Thell, or the species ''Anagallis foemina'' Mill. The plant has a diploid chromosome count of 2n=40.
Scarlet pimpernel flowers open only when the sun shines, and even close in overcast conditions.
This habit leads to names such as "shepherd's weather glass". It has been observed along the verges of salted roads, creating a broad red band along the roadside.
Scarlet pimpernel has a wide variety of flower colours. The petals of the type ''arvensis'' are bright red to
minium
''Minium'' is a genus of thalloid alga
Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. I ...
-coloured; ''carnea'' is
deep peach
Deep or The Deep may refer to:
Places United States
* Deep Creek (Appomattox River tributary), Virginia
* Deep Creek (Great Salt Lake), Idaho and Utah
* Deep Creek (Mahantango Creek tributary), Pennsylvania
* Deep Creek (Mojave River tributary), ...
, ''lilacina'' is
lilac; ''pallida'' is white; and ''azurea'' is blue. The blue form can be difficult to distinguish from ''A. foemina'', but the petal margins are diagnostic: whereas ''foemina'' has clearly irregular petal margins with only 5 to 15 glandular hairs, ''A. arvensis'' f. ''azurea'' has 50 to 70 hairs on only slightly irregular margins.
File:Anagallis arvensis f azurea eF.jpg, ''A. arvensis'' f. ''azurea'' together with a colour variant closer to f. ''carnea''.
File:Anagallis arvensis f azurea0.jpg, ''A. arvensis'' f. ''azurea''. The glandular hairs on the petal margins, at least 50 in this example, are clearly visible in the enlarged photo.
File:Anagallis arvensis azurea.jpg, ''A. arvensis'' f. ''azurea''.
Medical and agricultural significance
''Anagallis arvensis'' is generally unwelcome as a
cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Food and drink
* Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo"
History
* Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953
Hotels and resorts
* Cosmopoli ...
invasive species; it is harmfully toxic in several respects and accordingly undesirable in
pasture
Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or sw ...
s. The plant is
acrid and bitter, and grazing livestock generally avoid eating it except in conditions of
overgrazing
Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature res ...
or grazing of unsatisfying
stubble. Experimental feeding of the plant material to various animals, such as horses and dogs, caused
gastroenteritis.
[Watt, John Mitchell; Breyer-Brandwijk, Maria Gerdina: The Medicinal and Poisonous Plants of Southern and Eastern Africa 2nd ed Pub. E & S Livingstone 1962] Sufficiently high doses proved fatal.
Less specifically the herb has been reported as being toxic to poultry and rabbits, and the seed to birds.
''Anagallis arvensis'' is less often used in folk medicine worldwide than where it has long been familiar in its countries of origin. In various countries however, the plant material has been applied externally to slow-healing
ulcer
An ulcer is a discontinuity or break in a bodily membrane that impedes normal function of the affected organ. According to Robbins's pathology, "ulcer is the breach of the continuity of skin, epithelium or mucous membrane caused by sloughing o ...
s and wounds. It also has been applied as an
expectorant
Mucoactive agents are a class of chemical agents that aid in the clearance of mucus or sputum from the upper and lower airways, including the lungs, bronchi, and trachea. Mucoactive drugs include expectorants, mucolytics, mucoregulators, and muco ...
and as a remedy for
pruritus
Itch (also known as pruritus) is a sensation that causes the desire or reflex to scratch. Itch has resisted many attempts to be classified as any one type of sensory experience. Itch has many similarities to pain, and while both are unpleasant ...
,
rheumatism,
haemorrhoid
Hemorrhoids (or haemorrhoids), also known as piles, are vascular structures in the anal canal. In their normal state, they are cushions that help with stool control. They become a disease when swollen or inflamed; the unqualified term ''hem ...
s,
rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. Early symptoms can include fever and tingling at the site of exposure. These symptoms are followed by one or more of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, ...
,
leprosy
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...
, and snake-bite. ''Anagallis'' has been used in treatment of non-specified types of
phthisis
Phthisis may refer to:
Mythology
* Phthisis (mythology), Classical/Greco-Roman personification of rot, decay and putrefaction
Medical terms
* Phthisis bulbi, shrunken, nonfunctional eye
* Phthisis miliaris, miliary tuberculosis
* Phthisis pulmo ...
, and of kidney-related conditions such as
dropsy
Edema, also spelled oedema, and also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may include skin which feels tight, the area ma ...
and
chronic nephritis. It was used as an
antidepressant in
ancient Greece
Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of Classical Antiquity, classical antiquity ( AD 600), th ...
, and to treat various mental disorders in European folk medicine, leading to the German name ( meaning 'fool, cuckoo' and meaning 'heal'). Generally however, documented evidence for clinical efficacy is lacking. ''Anagallis arvensis'' is traditionally known by pharmacists as ''Arvensis Herba''
''Anagallis arvensis'' is insecticidal, or at least is repellent to some insects, possibly by virtue of its pungent
essential oil which has a characteristic smell. Taken by mouth, experimental doses of the liquid in humans caused twenty-four hours of intense nausea, headache and bodily pain. Some people also experience dermatitis from contact with the leaf. Reports from Australia state that when grain crops have been infested by the weed,
chaff that contains much of the material becomes unpalatable to stock as
fodder. When grazing in pasture, livestock usually leave the plant alone, but when they do nonetheless eat significant quantities, they suffer
diuretic
A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics i ...
and
narcotic effects sufficiently intense to justify regarding the plant as poisonous.
Reportedly an Indian practice of expelling leeches from dog nostrils can lead to fatal results if the animal swallows the fluid.
The herb and its seed contain
saponins, which could explain why fresh material is strongly
haemolytic
Hemolysis or haemolysis (), also known by several other names, is the rupturing (lysis) of red blood cells (erythrocytes) and the release of their contents (cytoplasm) into surrounding fluid (e.g. blood plasma). Hemolysis may occur in vivo o ...
. Among other possible
glycoside
In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycoside ...
s,
the root yields the
triterpenoid
Triterpenes are a class of chemical compounds composed of three terpene units with the molecular formula C30H48; they may also be thought of as consisting of six isoprene units. Animals, plants and fungi all produce triterpenes, including squal ...
glycoside
cyclamin which is highly toxic and occurs in ''Cyclamen'' species,
also a member of the subfamily
Myrsinoideae
Myrsinoideae is a subfamily of the family Primulaceae in the order Ericales. It was formerly recognized as the family Myrsinaceae, or the myrsine family, consisting of 35 genera and about 1000 species. It is widespread in temperate to tropical ...
, and arguably also in the Primulaceae.
The plant contains
tanning
Tanning may refer to:
*Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather
*Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin
**Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun
**Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...
agents, bitters, and the proteolytic enzyme
primverase.
Antibacterial tests of the green parts failed to show any encouraging positive effect.
In literature
Scarlet pimpernel ( in Tamil) is one of the two flowers mentioned in the .
''
The Scarlet Pimpernel
''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...
'' is the alias of Sir Percy Blakeney in the novel of the same name by
Baroness Emma Orczy.
The fictional flower
Elanor
This list of fictional plants describes invented plants that appear in works of fiction.
In fiction
*Audrey Jr.: a man-eating plant in the 1960 film '' The Little Shop of Horrors''
**Audrey II: a singing, fast-talking alien plant with a taste for ...
is said to be a little enlarged version of pimpernel, according to one of
J. R. R. Tolkien's letters.
The flower appears in ''
The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring'' and in ''
Unfinished Tales
''Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth'' is a collection of stories and essays by J. R. R. Tolkien that were never completed during his lifetime, but were edited by his son Christopher Tolkien and published in 1980. Many of the tale ...
''.
References
Sources
*
*
Harvey Wickes Felter
Harvey Wickes Felter (1865–1927) was an eclectic medicine doctor and author of ''Eclectic Materia Medica''. He was co-author, with John Uri Lloyd, of '' King's American Dispensatory''.
Works
* ''Biographies of John King, Andrew Jackson Howe, ...
and
John Uri Lloyd
John Uri Lloyd (April 19, 1849 – April 9, 1936) was an American pharmacist and leader of the eclectic medicine movement who was influential in the development of pharmacognosy, ethnobotany, economic botany, and herbalism.Michael A. Flannery, ' ...
(1898) ''King's American Dispensatory''.
*
External links
Connecticut Botanical Society: ''Anagallis arvensis''USDA Plants Profile: ''Anagallis arvensis''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q160573, from2=Q21327968
arvensis
Medicinal plants of Asia
Medicinal plants of Europe
Flora of Africa
Flora of Europe
Flora of Lebanon and Syria
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Saponaceous plants