Scalet Pimpernel Biology Anagallis arvensis Family: Primulaceae (Primula family).
Common names: Scarlet pimpernel, Blue pimpernel, Pimpernel, Red pimpernel.
Description: Seedling leaves - are glossy, angular and diamond to egg shaped, 6 mm long and 6 mm wide.
Leaves - are egg shaped with a pointed end, hairless and with no stalk, 5 - 25 mm long and 3 - 10 mm wide. The leaves are lightly glossy, yellowish-green to mid-green, soft and dotted with small black glands on the under side. Mature leaves have a prominent, indented mid-vein.
Mature plants – a small, prostrate to semi-prostrate annual plant with spreading branches and weak 4-angled stems 5 - 30 cm long.
Flowers – are 5 – 12 mm across with 5 petals. They are very open, almost flat in sunlight but fold up in the dark. Flowers can be bright red, orange-red, or violet-blue with a dark purplish centre. Flowers emerge from the leaf forks, borne on slender stalks 7 – 12 mm in length
Seeds – form in a green, spherical capsule 3 – 5 mm across. The capsule is thin walled and becomes brown and brittle as it dries. When dry it splits around the middle, releasing the seeds. It is surrounded at the base by five, narrow, pointed sepals 5 – 7.5 mm long which remain attached to the capsule. Seeds are very small, 1 – 1.5 mm long, dark brown and angular with 3 sides.
Lifecycle/Biology: A winter-growing annual herb which flowers in late winter and spring. Plants can flower over the summer and perenniate under suitable conditions, but will not survive in hot summers.
Ecology: A common weed of pastures, fallows, gardens and waste areas. Scarlet pimpernel grows on a range of soil types, usually in moister situations.
The problem: A common but minor weed in temperate areas.
Distribution: Found through much of Australia.
Origin: An introduced species from the Mediterranean region.
References: Crop Weeds of Northern Australia, p. 86 - 87.
Plants of Western New South Wales, p. 546 - 547.
Compiled by: Graham Charles
