#1935 - Anagallis arvensis - Scarlet Pimpernel
AKA Lysimachia arvensis, red pimpernel, red chickweed, poor man's barometer, poor man's weather-glass, shepherd's weather glass or shepherd's clock.
Some of the common names derive from the fact the flowers only open in sunlight, although you’d think Shepherds etc would notice the way the sun was shining without having to check the plant first. Also despite the name, it frequently comes in bright blue, and sometimes pink.
Native to Europe, Western Asia and North Africa, but now an invasive weed worldwide. This one was photographed in Waipukurau, NZ, by @purrdence, but we get the blue version in our own backyard here in Perth.
Used for a wide variety for medicinal purposes over the years, despite the lack of clinical evidence that it worked for any of them. Certainly, it can vary from ‘mostly harmless’ to ‘deadly poisonous’.
The Scarlet Pimpernel is the alias of Sir Percy Blakeney in the novel of the same name by Baroness Emma Orczy, and the fictional flower Elanor is said to be a little enlarged version of pimpernel, according to one of J. R. R. Tolkien's letters.