Anagallis monellii Seeds Description Details Blue is the most sought-after colour in the garden and there are few true blue flowering plants available. Anagallis monellii, the Blue Pimpernel has one of the brightest gentian-blue flowers available. This charming and unassuming plant is easily raised from seed and, although a perennial it is quite tender and is often grown as an annual. Its habit of producing a large number of base stems gives a neat, compact form. The stems are suitably springy and become pendulous in hanging baskets and other containers. Full sun encourages the most prolific display of intense blooms which are produced in an endless procession from late spring to first frosts. This versatile little plant can be grown as a half hardy annual, sown indoors in late winter or sown directly where it is to flower in April. It is drought tolerant and can be used in coastal areas. It can be used as a bedding plant, as edging or as a groundcover or to trail over walls, containers or hanging baskets. Numerous cultivars of this and of the small-leafed subspecies Anagallis monelli ssp.

linifolia, are sold as annuals for rockeries, border edges, containers, and hanging baskets. They have lovely names, including Anagallis monelli ‘Skylover,’ Anagallis monelli ‘Blue Bird,’ Anagallis monelli ssp. linifolia ‘Gentian Blue,’ and Anagallis monelli ‘Philipii,’ but the differences among them are minimal and mostly limited to variations in the shade of the bright blue flowers. Awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit In 1993 Anagallis monellii was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit (AGM). A key indicator that this variety is worth growing in your garden. Sowing: Sow indoors in Spring, January to May Fill individual peat pots, seed-starting cells or flats, or 7cm (3”) pot with a good commercial seed-starting mix. Moisten the mix and let it drain. Surface sow the seeds and cover with a thin layer of vermiculite or 1/16 “ of compost. Do not cover with soil as they need light to germinate.

Cover the containers with clear plastic to keep the mix moist while the seeds are germinating and place in a warm location. Keep moist, watering from the base of the container. Germination takes 18 to 21 days at 18-20°C (65-70°F). As soon as seedlings start to emerge, remove the plastic cover and lower the temperature to 15°C (60°F). Germination can sometimes be slow and erratic, don't discard the container too early as a second flush of seedlings may appear later. Transplanting: When large enough to handle, transplant the seedlings into 7.5cm (3in) pots or trays. Handle the plants with care and avoid disturbing the roots as much as possible when transplanting to prevent wilting. Gradually hardened off for 10-14 days before transplanting into the flowering site after all risk of frost has passed. Plant 23-30cm (9-12in) apart in full sun. Cultivation: Anagallis prefers a well drained soil. When planting in hanging baskets or container take care not to overwater in the early stages. Anagallis monellii is naturally perennial.

If you wish to keep plants over winter, bring the plants indoors as the minimal winter temperature that the plant can survive in is 6 to 8°C. Perfect drainage is a sound precaution against winter loss. Cuttings may also be taken as insurance for overwintering indoors. Plant Uses: Rockeries, Underplanting, Baskets, Bedding, Borders, Containers, Patio. Origin: Anagallis is a genus of about 20 to 25 species of flowering plants. Anagallis monellii, the Blue Pimpernel is native to the western Mediterranean region where It is found in dry, open habits. Information is scarce regarding its history and domestication and very few cultivars are available. Anagallis were formerly classified as members of the primrose family (Primulaceae), but a genetic and morphological study by Källersjö showed that they belong to the closely related family Myrsinaceae. In the APG III system, published in 2009, Primulaceae is expanded to include Myrsinaceae, thus Anagallis is in Primulaceae.

Nomenclature: Anagallis is commonly called pimpernel and perhaps best known for the wildflower species Anagallis arvensis, also called the Scarlet Pimpernel, as in the character in literature. The botanical name is from the Greek, ana meaning 'again', and agallein meaning 'to delight in', and refers to the opening and closing of the flowers in response to environmental conditions. The flowers of the species open each time the sun strikes them. Their habit of closing in dull weather and when rain is approaching has also given the plant the common name of 'Poor man's weather-glass.' The species name monellii, honours Jean Monelle, a 16th century French horticulturist said to have introduced this species to French garden culture in 1648 and about whom little else is known (he may or may not have been Italian, Monello or Monelli). The epithet originated in 1583 with Charles de l’Écluse (1526-1609) and was later adopted by Linnaeus.

Known to botanists by his Latinised name, Carolus Clusius, he was a Flemish doctor and pioneering botanist and perhaps the most influential of all 16th-century scientific horticulturists. Botany was becoming a discipline in its own right and no longer considered a branch of medicine, the plants of interest only for their medicinal or culinary properties. Clusius was one of the first in northern Europe to recognise plants for their own sake, valuing their beauty as well as their use. He is most well known for being responsible for introducing the tulip to the Netherlands, transforming gardens there and throughout Europe. Indeed, one contemporary described him as the father of all the beautiful gardens in Europe. Additional Information What does anagallis mean?

This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word anagallis Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: Anagallis, genus Anagallis(noun) Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: Anagallis Anagallis is a genus of about 20–25 species of flowering plants in the family Myrsinaceae, commonly called pimpernel and perhaps best known for the scarlet pimpernel referred to in literature. The botanical name is from the Greek, ana, "again", and agallein, "to delight in", and refers to the opening and closing of the flowers in response to environmental conditions. These are annual or perennial plants, growing in tufts on weedy and uncultivated areas. The stems are prostrate or decumbent. The leaves are opposite, rarely whorled, and sometimes with a few alternate leaves at the end of the stem. They are usually ovate in shape with a cordate base. Some of the species produce flowers of various colors. The flowers are radially symmetrical and have 5 sepals. The corolla consists of a short tube and 5 lobes.

The tube may be so short that the lobes appear to be separate petals. They are usually solitary in the leaf axils, but sometimes are on short spikes at the end of the stem. Pimpernel flowers remain open only under direct sun-light. The stamens are opposite the corolla lobes. The staminal filaments have conspicuous hairs. The ovary is superior, globose, and circumscissile near the middle. U.S. National Library of Medicine(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: Anagallis A plant genus of the family PRIMULACEAE that contains anagallosides, which are molluscacidal triterpenoid saponins. Numerology The numerical value of anagallis in Chaldean Numerology is: 3 Pythagorean Numerology WEEDS - The Trees & Flowers of Whangarei. The Trees & Flowers of Whangarei. ACETOSA Acetosa sagittata: Climbing Dock. BOTANICAL NAME: Acetosa sagittata - formally Rumex sagittatus: Common name - Climbing Dock. Also known as: rambling dock and wild kumara.

This low-climbing or scrambling perennial herb is found in hedges, on banks,fences, waste places and rock walls. The tubers flourish in crevices. They are large kumara like tubers or extensive rhizomes. It has redish-green arrowhead-shaped leaves on reddish stems. The woody tuberous, kumara-like root has a stem up to 3 metres long. The leaves, and spikes of small flowers are followed by wind-spread seeds (see photographs) The massed panicles of pink or reddish flowers appear November to March at the plant tops. Photograpgs taken in Bank Street. The two large photographs show Rumex growing on the ground. AMARANTHUS. Amaranthus powellii: Redroot. BOTANICAL NAME: Amaranthus powellii : Common Name - Redroot. A species of amaranth known in New Zealand as Redroot, overseas by the common names Powell's amaranth and green amaranth. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, but it is common throughout New Zealand's wet places and cultivated areas. It has also been introduced to other continents, including Australia and Europe.

A leafy,erect annual herb growing up to a metre tall. It has leaves up to 9 centimeters long, those on the upper part of the plant lance-shaped and lower on the stem diamond or roughly oval in shape. The inflorescence holds several long, narrow clusters of both male and female flowers interspersed with spiny green bracts. The fruit is a smooth dehiscent capsule about 3 millimeters long containing shiny reddish black seeds. Photographs taken on dry, waste land, at the end of summer. Amaranthus deflexus: Prostrate Amaranth. BOTANICAL NAME: Amaranthus deflexus: Common Name - Prostrate Amaranth. An annual or short-lived perennial with straggling brownish stems, either curved upwards or lying flat on the ground, and a thick, deep taproot. Flowers are in dense clusters, small, green or brownish, appearing at the ends of the branches and in the leaf axis. A. deflexus is a common garden weed in footpaths, streets and waste places, which can survive into winter. Not as common in the North as Redroot, but common in the Waikato, Nelson-Marlborough and Canterbury.

A common garden weed. Photographs taken in the Whangarei Croquet Club grounds. ANAGALLIS. Anagallis arvensis: Blue Pimpernel - Coastal Pimpernel & Scarlet Pimpernel. BOTANICAL NAME: Anagallis arvensis: Common Name - Pimpernel. A genus of about 20–25 species of flowering plants in the family Myrsinaceae, commonly called pimpernel and perhaps best known for the scarlet pimpernel referred to in literature. The botanical name is from the Greek language, agallein is to delight in, and refers to the opening and closing of the flowers in response to environmental conditions. Prostrate in habit, they are annual or perennial plants, that grow in tufts on weedy and uncultivated areas. The leaves are opposite, rarely whorled, and sometimes with a few alternate leaves at the end of the stem. They are usually ovate in shape with a cordate base. The two species occurring in Northland profuce Orange or red flowers. They are usually solitary in the leaf axils, but sometimes are on short spikes at the end of the stem.

Pimpernel flowers remain open only under direct sun-light. They were formerly classified as members of the primrose family ( Primulaceae ), but a genetic and morphological study has shown that they belong to the closely related family Myrsinaceae. Pimpernel is common throughout New Zealand. Photographs taken in Whangarei show both Blue Coastal Pimpernel, (below) and Scarlet Pimpernel (Small Photo). APIUM. Apium nodiflorum: Water Celery. BOTANICAL NAME: Apium nodiflorum Common Name - Water Celery (Not to be confused with Water Cress). Occurs more frequently in the North Island, but is beginning to get established in the South Island. Grows in Slow water, shallow ponds, drains (see photograph) swamps and stream edges. A semi-prostrate perennial, with 2 to 8 paira of oval or lance-shaped leaflets. Flowers are white, in umbels, at nodes opposite the leaves.. Photograph taken in Waiarohia reserve, Whangarei. BRASSICA. Brassica rapa sub-species sylvestris: Wild Turnip.

BOTANICAL NAME: Brassica rapa subspecies sylvestris. Common Name - Wild Turnip. An annual very similar to the cultivated turnip when young. Foliage is in a whorl close to the ground. Flower stems bear bright yellow or cream coloured flowers. The young plants grow fast in the spring or summer, and form a swollen taproot. Wild turnip is common throughout New Zealand in arable land, roadsides lawns and waste places. There are three species of wild Brassica that are difficult to tell apart, the main difference is that in B. rapa subspecies sylvestris the open flowers are higher than the unopened buds. In B. oleracea (Wild Cabbage), open flowers are below the unopened buds, and in B. napus (Wild Rape), the flowers are only slightly below the unopened buds. BRIZA. Briza species: Shivery Grass - Quaking Grass. BOTANICAL NAME: Briza species. Common Names - Shivery or Quaking Grass. A genus of annual and perennial grasses in the family Poaceae . They are mostly native to northern temperate regions.

The group is generally referred to as the quaking grasses because the flowers and seedheads shake on their stalks in the slightest breeze. Some of its members are grown as ornamental plants . It was used by florists as a fried plant, but is now a wild grass in Northland. CAPSELLA. Capsella bursa-pastoris: Shepherds Purse. BOTANICAL NAME: Capsella bursa-pastoris: Common name - Shepherd's Purse, Common name comes from its triangular, purse-like pods. A small (up to 0.5 m) annual, and a member of the Brassicaceae or mustard family,it is native to eastern Europe, but is naturalized and considered a common weed in New Zealand, and Britain. Unlike most flowering plants, it flowers almost all year round. Like many other annual ruderals exploiting disturbed ground, C. bursa-pastoris reproduces entirely from seed, has a long soil seed bank, and short generation time and is capable of producing several generations each year. The foliage is a flat rosette, with flowering stems up to 30cm tall from the rosette, with small white flowers. The large photograph shows C.

bursa-pastoris growing amongst other weeds. the broad, serrated Dandelion-like leaves are that of Capsella. CONYZA. Conyza albida: Broad-Leaved Fleabane. BOTANICAL NAME: Conyza albida: Common Name Broad-Leaved Fleabane. An erect annual or biennial weed. The most abundant of the fleabane species, it occurs in pastures and cultivated land, waste places, footpaths and industrial areas. It is widespread throughout the North Island and becoming increasingly common in the South Island. In Northland it is beginning to invade Reserves. These photographs were taken in the Waiarohia Reserve in Whangarei. It grows to 2metres tall and has small, composite flower heads. The small white flowers appear in late summer. CREPIS. Crepis capilliaris: Hawksbeard - Smooth Hawksbeard. BOTANICAL NAME: Crepis capillaris. Common Name - Hawksbeard or Smooth Hawksbeard. A species of the genus Crepis that is a native from the southern part of Northern Europe to northern part of central Europe.

It can be found throughout the world as an introduced species and sometimes a garden weed, as it is in New Zealand. Very common in Northland, it is a low growing annual, commonly found on roadsides and wasteland. It flowers most of the year in the north of New Zealand, but mainly from September to March. DELAIREA. Delairea odorata: Delairea - German Ivy. BOTANICAL NAME: Delairea odorata: Common Name - Delairea or German Ivy. A native to South Africa. The name cape ivy is also used ambiguously for Senecio angulatus, a different creeper. Delairea odorata has 2 to 4 -inch multi-lobed leaves that somewhat resemble those of the unrelated English ivy. Its flowers are yellow. A feature that distinguishes it from Senecio angulatus are the small appendages at the base of the stalks of the leaves that are shaped like an ear. Found in wate places, scrubland, forest margins, and coastal places. It has established throughout the North Island, and at Halfmoon Bay on Srewart Island.

Photographs taken in the Waiarohia reserve, Whangarei, Northland. EUPHORBIA. Euphorbia peplus : Milk Weed - Cancer Weed - Petty Spurge - Radium Weed. BOTANICAL NAME: Euphorbia peplus: Common Names -petty spurge, radium weed, cancer weed, or milkweed. A species of Euphorbia , native to most of Europe , northern Africa , and western Asia , where it typically grows in cultivated arable land, gardens, and other disturbed land. Outside of its native range it is very widely naturalised and often invasive, including in Australia, New Zealand, North America, and other countries in temperate and sub-tropical regions. It is an annual plant growing to between 5–30 cm tall (most plants growing as weeds of cultivation tend towards the smaller end), with smooth hairless stems. The leaves are oval-acute, 1–3 cm long, with a smooth margin. It has green flowers in three-rayed umbels. The glands, typical of the Euphorbiaceae, are kidney-shaped with long thin horns.

The plant's sap is toxic to rapidly-replicating human tissue, and has long been used as a traditional remedy for common skin lesions, including cancer and warts. The active ingredient in the sap is a diterpene ester called ingenol mebutate. A pharmaceutical-grade ingenol mebutate gel has approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for treatment of actinic keratosis, a type of skin cancer caused by exposure to sunshine. It was a common cure for warts when I was a child in New Zealand in the 1950s. FENNEL. Foeniculum vulgare: Fennel. BOTANICAL NAME: Foeniculum vulgare: Common Name - Fennel. A plant in the genus Foeniculum. It is a member of the family Apiaceae (formerly the Umbelliferae). It is a hardy, perennial, umbelliferous herb, up to 2 metres in height, with yellow flowers and feathery leaves.

It is native to the Mediterranean, but has become common in Northland and many other parts of NZ., especially on dry soils near the sea-coast and on riverbanks, waste places, roadsides and vacant lots. It is a highly aromatic and flavourful herb with culinary and medicinal uses and, along with the similar-tasting anise, is one of the primary ingredients of absinthe. Photograph taken on the bank of the Waiarohia Stream in Whangarei, Northland NZ. Not to be mistaken with Dill (Anethum graveolens), a similar looking herb that grows to 60cm (2ft). FUMITORY. Fumaria muralis: Scrambling Fumitory - Fumitory. BOTANICAL NAME: Fumaria muralis. Common Name - Scrambling fumitory or fumewort. A genus of 50 species of annual plants, native to Europe, Africa and Asia, and the Mediterranean region. Has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia. The species Fumaria indica contains the alkaloids fuyuziphine and alpha-hydrastine. Fumaria indica may have anti-inflammatory and analgesic potential.

GALINSOGA. Galinsoga parviflora: Galinsoga - Gallant Soldier. BOTANICAL NAME: Galinsoga parviflora: Common Name - Galinsoga (NZ); Gallant Soldier (USA & Britain). A leafy, erect summer growing annual up to 75cm tall. It belongs to the plant family Asteraceae. Galinsoga parviflora was brought from Peru to Kew Gardens in 1796, and later escaped to the wild in Britain, and on to New Zealand. In Britain its name Galinsoga is sometimes popularly rendered as "gallant soldiers", and then sometimes altered to "soldiers of the Queen". In Colombia it is used as a spice herb in the soup Ajiaco. It can also be used as an ingredient in leaf salads, however, in much of the world it is considered a weed. In Northland it is found in cultivated land, gardens pastures and waste places. G. quadriradiata is a similar species, but has hairy stems and flower stalks.

GALIUM Galium aparine: Cleavers - Goosegrass - Catchweed - Sticky-weed - Sticky Willy or Grip Grass. A herbaceous annual in the family Rubiaceae. It has inconspicuous white flowers, however, its scrambling weak-stemmed foliage will cling to support by means of fine hook-like prickles on the four-angles of the stem. Common throughout both main islands of New Zealand in gardens or hedgerows, originating from Eurasia. Can be eaten as a vegetable and seed pods used as a coffee substitute. HOLCUS Holcus lanatus - Yorkshire Fog. BOTANICAL NAME: Holcus lanatus. Common Names - Yorkshire Fog, Tufted Grass, Meadow-soft Grass or Velvet Grass. Family; Poaceae. A perennial grass native to Europe which was introduced into New Zealand as a pasture grass. It is now a common weed in gardens, lawns and open areas. HYDROCOTYLE. Hydrocotyle moschata: Hydrocotyle. BOTANICAL NAME: Hydrocotle moschata: Common Name - Hydrocotyle. A prostrate, creeping, mat-forming perennial, often found in lawns.

the leaves are hairy, almost 'Clubs' shapped (as in playing cards), with a stalk at the centre. the flowers are inconspicuous, tiny, in clusters in the leaf axis.. It is a native, found throughout New Zealand. Common in Northland. Photographs taken in Bank Street. LAMIUM Lamium purpureum - Common Name, The red deadnettle, purple deadnettle, purple archangel, or velikdenche. A herbaceous flowering plant native to Europe and Asia . It grows to 5–20 cm (rarely 30 cm) in height. The leaves have fine hairs, are green at the bottom and shade to purplish at the top; they are 2–4 cm long and broad, with a 1–2 cm petiole (leaf stalk), and wavy to serrated margins.The zygomorphic flowers are bright red-purple, with a top hood-like petal, two lower lip petal lobes and minute fang-like lobes between. They may be produced throughout the year, including mild weather in winter. . It is much like L.

amplexicaule, which is easily mistaken for it since they both have similar looking leaves and similar bright purple flowers; they can be distinguished by the stalked leaves of Red Deadnettle on the flower stem, compared to the unstalked leaves of Henbit Deadnettle. Though superficially similar to species of Urtica (true nettles) in appearance, it is not related and does not sting, hence the name "deadnettle". Outside of its native range, it is a common weed of cultivated areas; it is listed as an invasive species in some parts of North America. LAPSANA. Lapsana communis: Nipplewort. BOTANICAL NAME: Lapsana communis: Common Name - Nipplewort. The sole species of flowering plant from the genus Lapsana, in the family Asteraceae. L. communis (Nipplewort) is native to Europe and northern Asia. Nipplewort is an annual or perennial herbaceous plant growing to 1-1.2 m tall, with erect, branched leafy flower stem topped with small flowerheads. It has a clear non-milky sap.

The leaves are alternate and spirally arranged on the stem; the leaves at the base of the flowering stem often have a large oval terminal leaflet and one to four small side leaflets, while smaller leaves higher on the stem are simple oval; all leaves have a toothed margin. The flowers are yellow, daisy-like, 1-2 cm diameter. Common in gardens, farmland, forest edges and along roadsides. The common name, Nipplewort comes from the 14th century as it was used to heal cracked nipples. One plant can produce up to a thousand wind-borne seeds. Flowers appear from December to March, opening only in sunshine, and closing in late afternoon. It is native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Photographs taken in Russell Road, Whangarei. LEONTODON. Leontadon taraxacoides: Hawkbit - Lesser Hawkbit. BOTANICAL NAME: Leontodon taraxacoides: Common Name - hawkbit or lesser hawkbit. Common throughout New Zealand in swamps, bogs, lawns, roadsides, railway lines, sand dunes, gravel, waste land, pastures and gardens.

it is native to Europe, but is an introduced species in New Zealand. In some places it is classed as a noxious weed. This is a dandelion-like herb with solitary flower head. The florets are yellow, the seed is wind-borne. Flowers appear from December to April. OXALIS. Oxalis corniculata: Horned Oxalis. BOTANICAL NAME: Oxalis corniculata. Common Name - Horned Oxalis. Oxalis is by far the largest genus in the wood-sorrel family Oxalidaceae, with about 800 of the 900 known species in the family belonging here. The genus occurs throughout most of the world, with species diversity occurring mostly in tropical Brazil, Mexico and South Africa. Many of the species are known as wood sorrels, as they have an acidic taste reminiscent of the unrelated sorrel proper (Rumex acetosa). Some species are called yellow sorrels or pink sorrels after the color of their flowers instead. Other species are colloquially known as false shamrocks, and some called sourgrasses. For the genus as a whole, the term oxalises is also used. O.

corniculata is a small low growing perennial, without bulbils. It spreads by stolons and seed. Flowers are yellow and very small. The leaves are trifoliate, with each leaflet being heart-shaped. It can be found in gardens, lawns and pastures. Photographs taken in Whangarei. Oxalis latifolia: Fishtail Oxalis. BOTANICAL NAME: Oxalis latifolia. Common name - Fishtail Oxalis. Garden Pink Sorrel or broadleaf woodsorrel. O. latifolia is a species of flowering plant in family Oxalidaceae, the woodsorrel family. It is native to Mexico and parts of Central and South America. This is a perennial herb growing from a system of small bulbs and spreading via stolons. There is no stem. The leaves arise on long petioles from ground level, each made up of three widely heart-shaped leaflets about 4.5 centimeters wide. The inflorescence is an array of several flowers, each with five pink petals.

It is known on most other continents as an introduced species and a noxious weed and invasive species, as it infests many types of agricultural crops. It is a beautiful weed, with deep pink to pale pink flowers over a long summer period. It is dormant in winter. Abundant throughout the North Island. Photographs taken in Manse Street, Whangarei. It has a thick, fleshy, glassy-white root below the main bulb, with lots of little bulbs which spread for reproduction. Oxalis exilus: Creeping Oxalis - Native Oxalis. BOTANICAL NAME: Oxalis exilis: Common Name - Creeping Oxalis. A New Zealand native Oxalis, indigenous also to Australia and the western Pacific. It is commonly found growing as a weed in Northland, but is native to the Three Kings Islands and all three main Islands. A small, mat-forming plant with tiny yellow flowers, common in lawns, pastures, rocky and stony places. Photographs taken in Cafler Park Whangarei. Oxalis latifolia: BOTANICAL NAME: Oxalis latifoli: Common Names - Oxalis, Pink Sorrel, Broadleaf Woodsorrel.

A species native to Mexico and parts of Central and South America, this is the worst garden weed in New Zealand. It invades cultivated soils, is dormant in winter, the bursts to life in summer. It is almost impossible to eradicate once established in market gardens, although home gardeners can laboriously sieve through soil to find the tiny bulbs left behind after hand-weeding. A thick, fleshy carrot-like white root is below the halo of small bulbs, above which the leaf stems arise from below the soil surface. It does not fruit in NZ conditions, so seeding is not a problem. Oxalis pes-caprae: Burmuda Buttercup. BOTANICAL NAME: Oxalis pes-caprae Common Name - Bermuda buttercup, African wood-sorrel, Bermuda sorrel, Buttercup oxalis, Cape sorrel, English weed, Goat's-foot, Sourgrass, Soursob and Soursop; (Afrikaans: Suring) is a species of flowering plant in the wood sorrel family Oxalidaceae. Oxalis cernua is a less common synonym for this species. The Oxalis pes-caprae flower has a calyx composed of five free or slightly fused sepals.

Like most African Oxalis species, it produces many subterranean true bulbs wich is unusual among dicotyledons . In fact, Oxalis pes-caprae produces small bulbs copiously, whereas most other African species produce fewer, larger bulbs. New world Oxalis, such as O. corniculata, apparently do not generally produce bulbs. Indigenous to South Africa, Oxalis pes-caprae, the "Bermuda buttercup", is an extremely invasive species and noxious weed in Australasia. In South Australia I have seen acres of golden flowers between Adelaide and Elizabeth, although that was in 1967, land that is probably residential by now. In Northland it is a common garden pest. PERSICARIA. Persicaria hydropiper: Water Pepper. BOTANICAL NAME: Persicaria hydropiper: Common Name - Water Pepper, (syn. Polygonum hydropiper) is a plant of the family Polygonaceae. It grows in damp places, beside (or in) shallow water. It is found throughout New Zealand. Water pepper is an annual herb with an erect stem growing to a height of 20 to 70 cm (8 to 28 in).

The leaves are alternate and almost stalkless. Each leaf base has stipules which are fused into a stem-enclosing sheath that is loose and fringed at the upper end. The f;ower is a nodding spike. The fruit is a dark brown oval, flattened nut. Photographs taken beside the Waiarohia Stream. Whangarei. PHYTOLACCA. Phytolacca octandra: Inkweed. BOTANICAL NAME: Phytolacca octandra: Common Name - Inkweed. A species from a genus of perennial plants native to North America, South America, East Asia and New Zealand, although P. octandra is an introduced species to New Zealand, where thrives in frost-free areas. The berries are eaten by birds, which are not affected by the toxin in the berries, because the small seeds with very hard outer shells remain intact in the digestive system and are eliminated whole. The genus comprises about 25 species of perennial herbs, shrubs, and trees growing from 1 to 25 m (3.3 to 82.0 ft) tall.

They have alternate simple leaves, pointed at the end, with entire or crinkled margins; the leaves can be either deciduous or evergreen. The stems are green, pink or red. The flowers are greenish-white to pink, produced in long racemes at the ends of the stems. They develop into globose berries 4–12 mm diameter, green at first, ripening dark purple to black. Photographs taken on open land in Whangarei. March 2014. PLANTAGO. Plantago major: Broadleaf Plantain - Greater Plantain. BOTANICAL NAME: Plantago major : Common Name - broadleaf plantain or greater plantain. A species of Plantago in the family Plantaginaceae. It is native to Europe and northern and central Asia but has become naturalized in New Zealand. Plantago major has medical benefits. A poultice of the leaves can be applied to wounds, stings, and sores in order to facilitate healing and prevent infection. The active chemical stimulates cellular growth and tissue regeneration), and mucilage which reduces pain and discomfort.

Plantain has astringent properties, and a tea made from the leaves can be ingested to treat diarrhea and soothe raw internal membranes. Broadleaf plantain is also highly nutritious, being high in calcium and vitamins A, C, and K. The young, tender leaves can be eaten raw, and the older, stringier leaves can be boiled in stews and eaten. Plantago lanceolata: Narrowleaf Plantain - Ribwort. BOTANICAL NAME: Plantago lanceolata: Common Name - Narrowleaf Plantain or ribwort Plantain. A species of Plantago also known as English plantain, buckhorn plantain, ribleaf and lamb's tongue. It is a common garden and pasture weed in New Zealand. The plant is a rosette-forming perennial herb. The basal leaves are lance shaped, spreading or erect, scarcely toothed with 3-5 strong parallel veins. Flowers consist of a pointed bract, with each flower producing up to two seeds. Originally from Euraope. PORTULACA. Portulaca oleracea: Purslane.

BOTANICAL NAME: Portulaca oleracea: Common Names - Purslane, Verdolaga, Pigweed, Little Hogweed, Pursley, and Moss Rose. An annual succulent weed in the family Portulacaceae. It can grow to 40 cm in height. It is naturalised in New Zealand, and in some regions is considered an invasive weed. It has smooth, reddish, mostly prostrate stems and alternate leaves clustered at stem joints and ends. The yellow flowers have five regular parts and are up to 6 mm wide. Depending upon rainfall, the flowers appear at anytime during the year. The flowers open singly at the center of the leaf cluster for only a few hours on sunny mornings. Seeds are formed in a tiny pod, which opens when the seeds are mature. Purslane has a taproot with fibrous secondary roots and is able to tolerate poor, compacted soils and drought. It can be found throughout the north of the North Island, but less common further south. Was introduced from Europe and South-West Asia. Photographs taken in Rust Avenue, growing in the footpath. Also found in farm gateways and yards, waste places, gardens, gultivated land and bare ground.

PRUNELLA. Prunella vulgaris: Selfheal. BOTANICAL NAME: Prunella vulgaris: Common Name - Selfheal. An herbaceous plant in the genus ﻿ Prunella .﻿ The young leaves and stems can be eaten raw in salads; the whole plant can be boiled and eaten as a potherb. Medicinally, the whole plant is poulticed onto wounds to promote healing. A mouthwash made from an infusion of the whole plant can be used to treat sore throats, thrush and gum infections. Internally, a tea can be used to treat diarrhea and internal bleeding. Prunella vulgaris grows 5 to 30 cms high (2-12inches), with creeping, self-rooting, tough, square, reddish stems branching at leaf axis. The leaves are lance shaped, serrated, and reddish at tip, about 2.5 cms (1 inch) long and 1.5 cms (half an inch) broad, and growing in opposite pairs down the square stem. The stalks of the leaves are generally short, but can be up to 5 cms (2 inches) long. Flowers are two lipped and tubular.

The top lip is a purple hood, and the bottom lip is often white. Flowers bloom at different times depending on climate and other conditions, but mostly in summer. Self-heal propagates both by seed and vegetatively by creeping stems that root at the nodes. Its origin seems to be European, though it has been documented in other countries since before any history of travel. It is often found growing in moist areas, waste ground, grassland, woodland edges, and usually in basic and neutral soils. Common throughout New Zealand in damp and dry farmland, lawns and along edges of the forest, where flowers can be seen from November to April, and sometimes later. RUMEX. Rumex obtusifolius: Dock - Broadleaved Dock. BOTANICAL NAME: Rumex obtusifolius. Common Name - Dock, Broadleaved Dock or Sorrel. A member of the genus Rumex , a genus of about 200 species of annual, biennial and perennial herbs in the family Polygonaceae . Members of this family are very common perennial herbs growing all around New Zealand in gardens and pastures. In NZ they are weeds, but can be grown in some parts of the world for their edible leaves.

SENECIO. Senecio species: Ragwort. BOTANICAL NAME: Senecio jacobaea: Common Name, Ragwort. There are a number of species of senecio that are classed as weeds in Northland. Senecio belongs to the family Asteraceae. Jacobaea vulgaris, syn. Senecio jacobaea is a very common wild flower that is native to northern Eurasia , usually in dry, open places, and has also been widely distributed as a weed elsewhere. Common names include ragwort, benweed, tansy ragwort, St. James -wort, ragweed, Stinking Nanny/Ninny/Willy, staggerwort, Dog Standard, cankerwort, stammerwort, mare's fart and cushag. In the western US it is generally known as Tansy Ragwort, or "Tansy", though its resemblance to the true tansy is superficial. It has made a place for itself on the noxious weeds list New Zealand, and is an invasive species in farm pastures. Senecio skirrhodon: Gravel Groundsel. BOTANICAL NAME: Senecio skirrhodon: Common Name - Gravel Groundsel.

A species of Senecio common in Northland. A bushy annual or short-lived perennial up to 50cm tall. It has bright yellow composite flowers, and small, narrow lance or egg-shaped leaves, sometimes found in cultivated ground, but commonly found along railway lines and coastal places, In Northland it is common in stony ground and cleared sections, yards and waste places. Originally from Madagascar and Mozambique to South Africa. Named Gravel Groundsel in New Zealand due to its liking for the gravel alongside railway lines. Photographs taken in Whangarei. SONCHUS. Sonchus oleraceus: Sow Thistle - Puha (Maori). BOTANICAL NAME: Sonchus oleraceus: Common Name - Common Sow Thistle or Puha (Maori). A weed commonly found in farmland, gardens and along roadsides, particularly in rich soil. I Puha has a milky sap and a branched, leafy flowerstem. Each plant can produce thousands of air-borne seeds. The bitter-tasting leaves are used by the New Zealanf Maori as a kind of spinach. Flowers appear from November to January, longer in Northland.

Originally from Europe, North Africa and Asia, where it was also used as a food source. There is an original native New Zealand Puha, Sonchus kirkii, but it is now less common. Photographs taken in Whangarei. SPERGULA. Spergula arvensis: Spurrey. BOTANICAL NAME: Spergula arvensis: Common Name - Spurrey. Spergula is a genus of about five species belonging to the family Caryophyllaceae. Their usual English name is spurrey or spurry, and it is commonly found in gras﻿sland throughout the northern hemisphere, but is now found worldwide, and in Northland it is a common garden weed. A fine-stemmed erect or sprawling annual with small white flowers and narrow needle-like leaves in whorls of up to ten. Flowers are single, star-shaped, borne at tips of branches. Fruit is an egg-shaped capsule. Abundant throughout New Zealand. TARAXACUM. Taraxacum officinale: Dandelion - Tohetaka (Maori).

BOTANICAL NAME: Taraxacum officinale: Common Name - dandelion, or Tohetaka (Maori). A flowering herbaceous perennial plant of the family Asteraceae (Compositae). It can be found growing in lawns, gardens and farmland. The single flowerhead is borne on a leafless, unbranched hollow stem. T. officinale is considered a weed, especially in lawns and along roadsides, but it is sometimes used as a medical herb and in food preparation. Common dandelion is well known for its yellow flower heads that turn into round balls of silver tufted fruits that disperse seeds in the wind.Flower heads can be made into wine, and young leaves used in salads. Photographs taken in Russell Road, Whangarei. TRADESCANTIA. Tradescantia species: Wandering Jew - Wandering Willie. BOTANICAL NAME: Tradescantia fluminensis. Common names - Wandering Jew, Wandering Willy.Tradescantia fluminensis is a species of ﻿spiderwort﻿ native to South America.

﻿ It is also known as River Spiderwort, Small-Leaf Spiderwort, Inch Plant, Wandering Trad, Wandering Willie and Wandering Gypsy. T. fluminensis is a perennial ground cover that spreads quickly with soft, hairless stems and leaves. The fleshy stems root at any node that is on the surface. The plant has oval, dark-green leaves with pointed tips that are shiny, smooth and slightly fleshy about 1.25 – 2.5 inches long. The flowers are white with three petals and approx. 0.5 – 1-inch in diameter. They are produced in small clusters in summer but do not produce seeds. It is a noxious weed in Northland. ✕ A Modern Herbal | Pimpernel, Scarlet Click on graphic for larger image Pimpernel, Scarlet ---Synonyms---Shepherd's Barometer. Poor Man's Weatherglass. Adder's Eyes. (Old English) Bipinella. ---Parts Used---Leaves, herb.

---Habitat---The Scarlet Pimpernel grows on the roadside in waste places and on the dry sandy edges of corn and other fields; it is widely distributed, not only over Britain, but throughout the world, being found in all the temperate regions in both hemispheres. ---Description--- Its creeping, square stems, a foot in length at most, have their eggshaped, stalkless leaves arranged in pairs. The edges of the leaves are entire (i.e. quite free from indentations of any sort), and in whatever direction the stem may run, either along the ground, or at an angle to it, the leaves always keep their faces turned to the light. The Pimpernel flowers from May until late into August. The flowers appear singly, each on longish, thin stalks, springing from the junction of each leaf with the stem. The little flower-stalks are erect during flowering, but curved backward when the seed is ripening. The corolla is made up of five petals, joined together at their base into a ring. A purple spot often appears in the centre of the flower. The petals are very sensitive, the flowers closing at once if the sky becomes overcast and threatens rain.

Even in bright weather, the flowers are only open for a comparatively short time - never opening until between eight and nine in the morning and shutting up before three o'clock in the afternoon. As the petals are only brilliantly coloured on their upper faces, the flowers when closed disappear from view among the greenness of the leaves. Inside the petals are five stamens, each standing exactly opposite to a petal. Upon the stamens are a number of delicate, violet hairs, which seem to serve as a bait to insects, taking the place, perhaps, of honey, of which the Pimpernel has none. As the autumn comes on, the fruit in the centre of each flower swells and ripens. It is in the form of a little urn or capsule, full of tiny seeds. When the latter are quite ripe, the urn splits round its circumference into two halves - the upper half lifts up like a lid and the seeds are shaken out with every movement of the wind. Propagation is entirely by seeds, as the plant is an annual, completely dying at the end of each season, both above and below ground. A blue variety of an intense deep colour is occasionally found in Great Britain, and more commonly in central and southern Europe.

A number of scientific experiments have been made on these blue and red Pimpernels by Darwin, Henslow and others. Henslow found that of the offspring of the blue, some had red and some blue petals, while Darwin discovered that by crossing the red and blue, some of the offspring were red, some blue, and some an intermediate colour. Gerard thought that the scarlet variety was the male plant, and that the blue was the female. This blue variety (Anagallis cerulea) is described as growing in beautiful little tufts about the hills of Madeira. The common variety (A. arvensis) is mentioned in lists of plants growing in Persia, Nepaul, China, New Holland, Mauritius, Cape of Good Hope, Japan, Egypt, Abyssinia, U.S.A., Mexico, and Chile. It is to be found in all the temperate regions in both hemispheres, but shuns the Arctic cold and hardly bears more than the sub-tropical heat. Occasionally flesh-coloured and pure white blossoms have been found as varieties of this plant.

The plant appears in the Herbals and Vocabularies of the sixteenth century as 'Bipinella,' a name originally applied to the Great and Salad Burnet. It was much used as a cosmetic herb. Howard, in The Old Commodore, 1837, says: 'If she'd only used my pimpernel water, for she has one monstrous freckle in her forehead.' The plant was also said to be a remedy for the bites of mad dogs and to dispel sadness. This plant once had a great reputation in medicine, and was used as a universal panacea. 'No heart can think, no tongue can tell The virtues of the Pimpernel.' Pliny speaks of its value in liver complaints, and its generic name Anagallis (given it by Dioscorides) is derived from the Greek Anagelao, signifying 'to laugh,' because it removes the depression that follows liver troubles. The Greeks used it for diseases of the eye, and Gerard and Culpepper affirm that 'it helpeth them that are dim-sighted,' the juice being mixed with honey and dropped into the eyes.

It is 'a gallant, Solar herb, of a cleansing attractive quality, whereby it draweth forth thorns and splinters gotten into the flesh.' 'Used inwardly and applied outwardly,' Culpepper tells us, 'it helpeth also all stinging and biting of venomous beasts or mad dogs.' And again, 'the distilled water or juice is much celebrated by French dames to cleanse the skin from any roughness, deformity or discolourings thereof.' Another old writer says 'the Herb Pimpernel is good to prevent witchcraft, as Mother Bumby doth affirm.'

Question: What is the common name for Anagallis known for the opening and closing of the flowers in response to environmental conditions?
Answer: Pimpernel