Anagallis arvensis var. caerulea ?
anagallis arvensis, dehradun, mm, april : 6 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (2). anagallis arvensis growing in a fallow field a few kilometers from dehradun second week of march Other recipients: mohina macker...@gmail.com> Is it Anagallis arvensis var. caerulea or Anagallis arvensis ssp. foemina ? Anagallis arvensis -Jonkmari, Nili Ka phool- Leaf juice is dropped into the nostrils of cattle to expel out the leeches- hence LONKMARI. This is what ... has to say The common pimpernel has confused both field workers and reputed authors alike, but luckily the confusion seems to have been resolved more recently. Carolus Linnaeus, the Father of Taxonomy described two closely related species of Anagallis: Anagallis arvensis L., the scarlet pimpernel with orange-scarlet to scarlet flowers Anagallis caerulea L., the blue pimpernel with blue flowers The two are now treated as two varieties var. arvensis and var. caerulea (L.) Gouan of Anagallis arvensis L. Schreber, Spic. Fl. Lips. 5 1771 described a related species Anagallis coerulea (note slight difference in spellings), also used by Lamarck, a taxon that had been long treated as same var. caerulea of A. arvensis. It was only in 1972 that Fergussen established it to be a synonym of a distinct species Anagallis foemina Miller (1768). The plant List treats this as Anagallis arvensis subsp. foemina (Mill.) Schinz & Thell. Important to note that this taxon always has blue flowers. This is how the two species can be differentiated: Anagallis arvensis Anagallis foemina (or Anagallis arvensis subsp. arvensis) (or Anagallis arvensis subsp. foemina (Mill.) Schinz & Thell.) 1. Flowers scarlet (var. arvensis) or blue (var. caerulea) 1. Flowers blue 2. Pedicel in flower longer than subtending leaf. 2. Pedicel in flower shorter or equal to the subtending leaf. 3. Sepals shorter than sepals especially in bud 3. Sepals equalling or longer than petals especially in bud 4. Petal margins overlapping 4. Petal margins not overlapping 5. Petal margins with numerous hairs tipped with 5. With few or no hairs, which if present have elongate globose glands. terminal cells. Let us look for our blue pimpernel (blue flowered Anagallis) more closely in light of above information to find its exact identity. Who knows we may have both taxa in India. I would be delighted if this could be ided further 1. Both the flowers are blue 2. The pedicel is longer than the subtending leaf 3. sepal seems longer? than the petal in bud, but not after the flower has opened 4. petals are not overlapping or very slightly overlapping. 5. petal margins have very few hairs. |
# Species- Seed plants (families) > M---Z (families & genera) > Po > Primulaceae > Anagallis >
