Common Pimpernel.Anagallis arvensis.Poor Man’s Weather Glass.
Found in waste places and sandy soil, from June to September.
The several stems of this spreading plant lie upon the ground in a close mat; they are square, the sides being twisted; smooth, shining, and light green. They are commonly about 6 inches in length, but vary somewhat.
The small oval leaf is widest at the base, entire, weak and loose in texture, and dull green, the under side speckled with faint purple dots. The leaves occur in pairs at regular intervals.
The pretty little flower is very variable in color; its 5-parted and round-pointed corolla is purple, blue or white sometimes, but most commonly is orange-red with a violet ring in the center, while the collar which unites the 5 white stamens (they have yellow tips) is red-violet—a curious color combination. The calyx is 5-parted, shallow, and green. The flowers, on thread-like stems, occur in pairs, springing from the angles of the leaves along the stalk.
The lowest buds open first; the blossoms last but a day,—they do not often spread in overcast weather, nor open until the sun is shining full, and they close by four o’clock in the afternoon. This habit causes the folk-name, which is more surely applicable to the plant when it grows by the sea, for though it is found inland in a flourishing condition, it is never acclimated thoroughly enough to adjust its reckoning with the weather, and is continually making false forecasts in its calculations.