Anagallis arvensis

Arable pimpernel ( Anagallis arvensis)

The field - pimpernel ( Anagallis arvensis), and Red Scarlet Pimpernel, Flora Fog, Vineyard star, called weather herb, is a plant of the genus pimpernel ( Anagallis ) in the subfamily Myrsinengewächse ( Myrsinaoideae ) within the family of Primrose ( Primulaceae ).

Description and ecology

The field - pimpernel is a prostrate creeping, annual, summer annual plant, or ascending growing winter annual half- rosette plant. It is slightly toxic in all its parts, especially in the root, by saponins. The sharp square stems is 5 to 30 cm long. The opposite, seated leaves are ovate with entire margins.

From May to October, the flowers appear singly in the leaf axils. The radial symmetry flowers have a diameter of about 10-15 mm. There are so-called pollen - disk flowers. The flowers are only open 7-14 clock and close at aufziehendem storm. The anthers have food hair and pull on different pollinators, especially flies. It comes before pollination but also to spontaneous self- pollination. The petals are usually colored vermilion in Central Europe, rarely blue. However, they are propertied in the Mediterranean region occurring, slightly larger flowers subspecies subsp. latifolia usually colored blue. Blue-blooded forms of arable Gauch salvation are often the Blue Pimpernel ( Anagallis foemina ) confused.

The lid capsule fruits of arable Gauch salvation reach their fruit ripening from August to October. The fruit stalk bends with gravity and the seeds are blown by wind or distributed as Regenschwemmlinge.

The shape of Anagallis arvensis f azurea

The flower color of arable Gauch salvation can take many hues. So the forms are arvensis with bright until mennigroten, carnea with flesh-colored, lilacina with purple, pallida described with white, and azurea with blue flowers. In determining the plant can cause difficulties in the form azurea by possible confusion with the blue pimpernel (A. foemina ). A strong differentiating factor are the Corolla lobe: The significantly irregularly serrate at the Blue Pimpernel petals carry only about 5 to 10, more than 15 glandular hairs. In the form of A. arvensis f azurea these are about 50 to 70 pieces. This does not sit at little or sawed corolla lobes.

A. arvensis f azurea. Clearly can be seen ( the enlarged image ), the terminal glandular hairs which are at least 50 pieces in this case.

A. arvensis f azurea. Macro in a few details are clearly visible.

Toxicity

The whole plant is poisonous, but especially the roots.

Active ingredients: 2 glycosides ( a similar Quillaiasäure and Polygalasäure, the other similar to the Quillaiasapotoxin ), Bittern Primverase, tannin, a proteolytic enzyme and essential oil with pungent spicy smell. Is because of the high saponin as toxic.

Poisoning: Strong diuresis, tremors, mushy and watery stool, symptoms in the nervous system, brain and spinal cord, inflammation of the digestive tract, weak anesthetization.

Causes gastroenteritis in dogs and horses. Toxic for poultry and rabbits. The essential oil causes headaches and nausea. The herb is diuretic and narcotic act in toxic amounts.

Effects on the skin: The leaves can cause an allergic dermatitis.

Occurrence

The field - pimpernel is a globally widespread, common plant found in fields, in gardens, vineyards and on dumps and similar ruderal. The plant originally comes from the Mediterranean region, but in Europe it is a archaeophyte.

Use

• The field - pimpernel is not used in evidence-based medicine, but is used as Anagallis arvensis Herba application in various homeopathic products against various rashes and nerve related pain. Previously, the field - pimpernel was used to treat ulcers and cure of mental illness ( Gauch = fool, cuckoo ). In ancient Greece they used him for the treatment of melancholia.
• Farmers used the field - pimpernel earlier to predict the weather, since the field - pimpernel early the flower closes when deteriorating weather is imminent. Therefore, the German name come Flora Fog weather herb.

Trivial names

For the field - pimpernel or were, sometimes only regionally, including the names Abele, eyes blossom, blood troops ( Sommerfeld), Colmar herb, Cole former herb Corallenblümchen, Mrs. Flower, Fule Li (Mecklenburg), Ful Liese ( Mecklenburg ), Gacheil, Gachheil ( Bern ), Gähheil ( Daun in the Eifel), Gauch flower, Scarlet Pimpernel, Geckenheil, runsche Gedyrme ( Mulhouse, middle High German ), Gochheil, Goldhünerdarm ( Carinthia, Tyrol, Swabia, Switzerland ), basic salvation, Guychelheil ( middle Low German ), Guychelhoil ( middle Low German ) Guygeil (Hamburg), houndstooth, the salvation of all the world ( Silesia), a medicinal herb, Hendwis, Hennebeyss, Hienebeken ( Transylvania), Hienendärm ( Transylvania), rod Hone Sune, rod Hnesswerve, chicken passage ( Silesia), Hünertarn ( middle High German ), Hunerdarm ( middle High German ), Jochheil, cat foot, cat's foot, red mice intestine, Maushödlin, Mausgedärm, red Meyer (Silesia, Prussia ), red Miern (Silesia ), rode Mir ( Mecklenburg ), Mür, Neuner Blümle ( Augsburg), Neunerle ( Augsburg), Nifelkraut ( Austria ), Nüniblümli ( Switzerland ), Nünikraut ( Switzerland ), Sparrow herb ( Silesia), reason and understanding, reason herb ( Schwaben), Vleword, Vliword, Bird herb Wutkraut and Zeisigkraut common.

Others

The field - pimpernel Scarlet Pimpernel called in English, making it the namesake of the novel " The Scarlet Pimpernel " ( German: " The Scarlet Pimpernel " ) of Emmuska Orczy, and the eponymous musical by Frank Wildhorn and Nan Knighton.