ANAGALLIS CÆRULEA. BLUE PIMPERNEL.
ANAGALLIS ccerulea; foliis ovatis sessilibus subtus punclatis, corolla marginibus dentatis vix glandulosis.
ANAGALLIS ceerulea. Schr. FI. Lips. p. 5. Abbott FI. Bedf. p. 46. Smith Engl. Bot. t. 1823. Jioffm.
Germ. cd. 2. ml. 1. P . I. p. 98. (Ed. FI. Dan. 1 .1570. Decand. FI. F r. ed. 3. ml. 3. p. 431.
FI. Gall. Syn. p. 204. Pers. Syn. PI. ml. 1. p. 173. Hook. FI. Scot. P . I. p. 73.
ANAGALLIS femina. Vill. Delph. ml. 2. p. 461. Raii Syn. p. 282. Female or blue-flowered Pimpernel.
ANAGALLIS arvensis, 5. Huds. Angl. p. 87.
ANAGALLIS arvensis, var. 2. W ith. Bot. A rr. ed. 4. ml. 2. p. 234.
ANAGALLIS arvensis, a. flöre casruleo. Willd. Sp. PI. ml. 1. p. 821.
ANAGALLIS arvensis, y. Smith FI. B r it.p . 230.
ANAGALLIS caule procumbente, foliis ovato-lanceolatis, petalis serratis, calycis foliolis subulatis. Hall.
Helv. n. 626.
Class a n d Or d e r . PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.
[N a tu r a l . O r d e r . PRIMULACEÆ, Decand., Hook. LYSIMACHIÆ, Juts'. ANAGALLIDEÆ, Richard.]
Ch a r . Or d in is . Calyx divisus, quinque- raro quadri-fidus, regularis, persistens. Corolla monopetala, hypogyna, regularis,
limbo quinque-raro quadri-fido. Stajnina epipetala, tot quot latinize limbi, iisdem opposita! Germen monoloculare. Stylus
unicus. Stigma capita turn. Capsula valvata. Receptaculum central e, liberum. /Si27»m6snumerosa, peltata, albuminosa.
Embryo inclusus, umbilico parallelus. Radicula vaga.— Herbce. Folia scepius opposita, nunc verticillata m l sparsa. Br.
Ch a r a c ter of t h e O r d e r . Calyx divided, five- rarely four-cleft, regular, persistent. Corolla monopetalous, bypogy-
nous, regular, limb five- rarely four-cleft. Stamens inserted upon the corolla, as many in number as the segments o f the
limb, and placed opposite to them. Germen one. ' Style one. Stigma capitate. Capsule valvular. Receptacle central,
free. Seeds numerous, peltate, furnished, with an albumen. Embryo surrounded by albumen, transverse. Radicle without
any precise direction.— Herbaceous. Learns generally opposite, sometimes whorled or scattered. Br.
G e n . Ch a r . Calyx quinque-partitus. Corolla rotata. Stamina hirsuta. Capsula circumscissa.
Ge n . Ch a r . Calyx five-partite. Corolla rotate. Stamens hairy. Capsule bursting all round transversely.
R a d ix parva, fibrosa, annua.
Ca u l is ramosus, ereclus, vel basi procumbens, debilis, glaber,
quadrangularis, ramis oppositis, simplicibus.
Fo lia opposita, ovata, sessilia, obtusiuscula, patentia, inte-
gerriraa, glabra, trinervia, subtus punctis ferrugineis
notata, suprema conferta.
Flores pulcherrime cærulei, axillares, oppositi, longe pe-
dunculati.
P e d u n c u l i subbiunciales, primum incurvi, demum erecti et
patentes, fructiferi recurvati.
Ca l y x quinquepartitus, persistens, segnientis patentibus, lan-
ceolato-acuminatis,-nervosis, dorso subdentato, viridi,
marginibus diaphanis, subintegerrimis.
Corolla monopetala, quinquepartita, laciniis horizontaliter
patentibus, obovato-rotundatis, concavis, basi cocci-
neis, marginibus dentatis, parce glandulosis.
St am in a quinque: Filamenta pulcherrime hirsuta, pilis, sub
lente, articulatis, purpurascentibus, sursum incrassatis:
Antheræ oblongæ, flavoe.
P istil lum : Germen sphæricum, viride : St}dus staminibus
brevior, filiformis : Stigma capitatum.
P erica rp ium : Capsula exacte sphærica, flavo-fusca, glabra,
lineis longitudinalibus quinque notata, àpice stylo ter-
minata, demum circumscissa.
Recepta culum centrale, liberum, magnum, spongiosum.
Sem in a receptaculo immersa, subrotundata, subpeltata, basi
angusta, fusca, minute tuberculata : Albumen carno-
E mbeyo albumine immersus, transversalis, cylindricus.
Root small, fibrous, annual.
St em branched, erect, or slightly procumbent at the base,
weak, glabrous, quadrangular, the branches opposite,
simple.
Leaves opposite, ovate, sessile, rather obtuse, patent, entire,
glabrous, three-nerved, marked beneath with ferruginous
dots, the upper ones crowded.
Flowers o f a bright blue, axillary, opposite, borne upon
• long footstalks.
Footsta lks about two inches in length, curved at first, afterwards
erect or patent, and again recurved when
bearing fruit.
Ca l y x divided into five segments, persistent, the segments
patent, between lanceolate and acuminate, nerved,
somewhat toothed at the back, green, the margins
pellucid, almost entire.
Corolla monopetalous, five-cleft,- the segments horizontally
spreading, obovato-rotundate, concave, scarlet at their
bases, the margins toothed, sparingly glandular.
Stamens five: Filaments beautifully hirsute, the hairs, under
the microscope, appearing articulated, purple, thickened
upwards: Anthers oblong, yellow.
P i s t il : the Germen spherical, green: the Style shorter
than the stamens, filiform: the Stigma capitate.
Se e d -vessel : a capsule exactly spherical, yellowish-brown,
glabrous, marked with five longitudinal lines, terminated
with the style at the apex, dividing transversely
into two equal portions.
Recepta cle central, free, large, spongy.
Se ed s immersed in the receptacle, roundish, somewhat peltate,
narrow at their base, brown, minutely tubercu-
lated: Albumen fleshy.
Embryo surrounded on all sides by the albumen, transverse,
cylindrical.
Fig. 1. Flower. Fig. 2. Segment of the corolla. (Fig. 3. Segment of the corolla of Anagallis arvensis, to compare
with that of A . ccerulea.) Fig. 4 and 5. Stamens. Fig. 6. Hair from the filaments. Fig. 7. Calyx, including the
pistil. Fig. 8. Capsule (nat. size). Fig. 9. Capsule opening, and showing the situation of the seeds in the receptacle.
Fig. 10. Single seed. Fig. 11. The same cut open vertically, to show the albumen and embryo:—all, except Jig. 8, more
or less magnified.
With the view that others may form their own opinions as to the specific difference between Anagallis ccerulea and
A . armnsis, I have represented on the same plate the segment of a corolla of each; for it is in the corolla only, and in its margin,
that I am able to discover any character of distinction whatever. In the A . ccerulea, besides the difference in colour, the
margin is toothed and scarcely glandular, in the common species the margin is obscurely, very bluntly and broadly crenate,
and beautifully fringed with minute pedunculated glands. These marks I have found to be constant in many specimens belonging
to the two species which I have examined and compared together both in England and Scotland. With regard to
the form of their stems, their leaves, and their calycine segments, they offer no difference of appearance, and they equally
possess that degree of susceptibility which makes the flowers close at the approach of damp and rainy weather.
The Blue Pimpernel, though much scarcer than the Red one, is found in similar situations to it. It is to be met with in
several parts of Suffolk and Norfolk. The specimen here figured was gathered by J . E. Bicheno, Esq. at Wooten Fields,
near Abingdon. It grows likewise in Scotland, about Glasgow and Lanark, and on the banks of the river Tay, near Delvine.
I t flowers through the summer months.
178