Thanks for clarification on the matter Sir On Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 8:35 PM, Gurcharan Singh <[email protected]> wrote: > 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. > -- > Dr. Gurcharan Singh > Retired Associate Professor > SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 > Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018. > Phone: 011-25518297 Mob: 9810359089 > http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ >
-- Regards Dr Balkar Singh Head, Deptt. of Botany and Biotechnology Arya P G College, Panipat Haryana-132103 09416262964
