Lysimachia monelli, the blue pimpernel or garden pimpernel[1] (formerly known as Anagallis monelli) is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae, native to the Mediterranean region (in the Iberian Peninsula, Northwest Africa, Corsica, Sicily and the Balearic Islands[2]). It is not to be confused with Lysimachia foemina, which has very similar blue flowers, but broader leaves and can be found also in colder climates. In a comparison of DNA sequences, L. monelli was shown to be most closely related to L. foemina.[3] The latter had been thought by many to be closest to L. arvensis, and some authors had even included L. foemina as a subspecies of L. arvensis.[citation needed] The three species were among several transferred from Anagallis to Lysimachia in a 2009 paper.[4]
| Blue pimpernel | |
|---|---|
| |
| Blue pimpernel (Anagallis monelli), the Skylover cultivar) | |
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| Orange colour form of the Blue Pimpernel near el Perelló (Catalonia), Spain | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Primulaceae |
| Genus: | Lysimachia |
| Species: | L. monelli
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| Binomial name | |
| Lysimachia monelli (L.) U. Manns & Anderb.
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Lysimachia monelli is a low-growing perennial with trailing stems. Wild specimens have blue or orange coloured flowers and are not sympatric with the blue-flowered plants growing natively in southern Spain and the orange in Morocco and southern Italy. A red variant was also developed by breeding at the University of New Hampshire. The orange-coloured flowers have a higher concentration of pelargonidin pigment, while blue flowers have a higher concentration of malvidin. The red-coloured flowers are due to the relative concentrations of delphinidin and malvidin pigments. In addition to the blue, orange and red forms, a white form of the flower also exists.[5][6]
Although this is a perennial, in cultivation in temperate regions this plant is often grown as an annual. As Anagallis monellii it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[7]
See also
edit- Anagallis arvensis, the scarlet pimpernel.
References
edit
- ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
- ^ "Lysimachia monelli (L.) U.Manns & Anderb. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
- ^ Manns, Ulrika; Anderberg, AA (Dec 2007). "Relationships of Anagallis foemina and Anagallis arvensis (Primulaceae): New insights inferred from DNA sequence data". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 45 (3): 971–980. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.07.022. PMID 17869544.
- ^ Manns, Ulrika; Anderberg, Arne A. (July 2009). "New combinations and names in Lysimachia (Primulaceae) for species of Anagallis, Pelletiera and Trientalis". Willdenowia. 39 (1): 49–54. doi:10.3372/wi.39.39103. JSTOR 20699148.
- ^ Quintana, Andrea; Freyre, Rosanna; Davis, Thomas M.; Griesbach, Robert J. (2008). "Genetic Studies of Flower Color in Anagallis monelli L." HortScience. 43 (6): 1680–1685. doi:10.21273/hortsci.43.6.1680. hdl:10113/21705.
- ^ Quintana, Andrea; Albrechtova, Jana; Davis, Tom; Griesbach, Robert J.; Freyre, Rosanna (July 2005). "Genetics, anatomy and biochemistry of flower color in Anagallis monelli (L.) 'Pimpernel'". HortScience. 40 (4): 1002–1003. doi:10.21273/hortsci.40.4.1002e.
- ^ "Anagallis monellii blue pimpernel". The Royal Horticultural Society. 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
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