Weed Information: Lysimachia arvensis (pimpernel, scarlet)
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Lysimachia arvensis (pimpernel, scarlet)

Family: Primulaceae

Description

Despite the common name, the flowers are seldom of the intensity usually associated with `scarlet` and are more likely to be described as pink, salmon, or peach. Due to the prostrate habit and opposite leaves, this species is often confused with the chickweeds. It can be quickly distinguished from that family by the fact that the flowers have only one style. Anagalis foemina = Anagallis arvensis ssp. foemina.

Characteristics

Flower Color
  • Red (or pink)
  • Blue
  • White
Inflorescence Type (How the flowers are arranged on the plant)
  • Solitary, axillary
Number of Petals
  • 5 petals
Petal Separation
  • Completely free to base
  • United at base only (<25% length)
Petal Tip
  • Rounded
Flower Symmetry
  • Flowers regular
Flower Length (Head length in the Asteraceae)
  • < 1 mm (< .04 inch)
  • 1 mm (.04 inch)
Flower Width (Head width in the Asteraceae)
  • 6 mm (.24 inch)
  • 7 mm (.28 inch)
  • 8 mm (.32 inch)
  • 9 mm (.36 inch)
  • 1.0 cm (.40 inch)
Number of Sepals
  • 5 sepals
Sepal Separation
  • Completely free to base
  • United at base < 25% length
Sepal Tip
  • Pointed
Flower Sex
  • Bisexual (perfect)
Number of Styles
  • 1 style
Number of Stamens
  • 5 stamens
Stamens Attached to the Petals
  • Stamens attached to the petals
Stamens Connate (united)
  • Filaments or anthers NOT united

Carpel Separation
  • Carpels united (or one)
Number of Carpels
  • 1 carpel
Ovary Position
  • Superior (hypogynous)
Fruit Type
  • Capsule, 1-celled
Fruit Length at Maturity
  • 3 mm (.12 inch)
  • 4 mm (.16 inch)
Fruit Width at Maturity
  • 3 mm (.12 inch)
  • 4 mm (.16 inch)
Burs
  • Fruit or seed NOT bur-like

Leaf Arrangement
  • Opposite
  • Whorled 3 per node
Leaf Type
  • Simple (including lobed leaves)
Stipules
  • Lacking
Tendrils
  • Tendrils absent
Venation
  • Pinnate
Petiole (leaf stem) Blade Ratio
  • Petiole absent (leaf sessile)
Leaf Length (blade PLUS petiole)
  • 5 - 10 mm (.20 - .40 inch)
  • 1 - 2 cm (.40 - .80 inch)
Leaf Width
  • 5 - 10 mm (.20 - .40 inch)
Leaf Shape (simple leaves only)
  • Deltoid (triangular)
  • Oval
  • Ovate
Leaf or Leaflet Margin
  • Entire
Leaf or Leaflet Blade Base
  • Rounded
  • Truncate
Leaf or Leaflet Tip
  • Acute
Leaf or Leaflet Blade Surface
  • Glabrous (NO hairs)
Succulence
  • Not succulent

Milky Juice
  • Juice NOT milky (watery)
Woodiness
  • Herbaceous
Spines or Thorns
  • Spines or Thorns ABSENT
Aromatic (vegetative structures)
  • Not aromatic
Life Cycle
  • Annual
Growth Habit (while flowering)
  • Prostrate
  • Spreading ascending
Plant Height at Maturity
  • < 1 cm (< .40 inch)
  • 1 - 5 cm (.40 - 2.0 inches)
  • 5 - 10 cm (2.0 - 4.0 inches)
Wind Dissemination
  • Not wind disseminated
Moisture Regime
  • Semi-aquatic
  • Seasonally saturated
  • Mesic
Chlorophyll
  • Present

Stem Cross Section
  • Round
  • Square
Flowering Stem Leaves
  • Stem uniformly leafy
Main Stem Branches
  • Main stem unbranched
  • Main stem branched

Root or Vegetative Propagule
  • Fibrous
  • Tap Root

US State
  • Alabama
  • Arkansas
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Illinois
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Massachusetts
  • Maine
  • Michigan
  • Missouri
  • Mississippi
  • North Carolina
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • West Virginia
  • Hawaii
  • Indiana
  • Maryland
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont
  • Arizona
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Iowa
  • Idaho
  • Minnesota
  • Montana
  • New Mexico
  • Nevada
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • South Dakota
  • Utah
  • Washington
  • Nebraska
Canadian Province or Territory
  • British Columbia
  • New Brunswick
  • Nova Scotia
  • Ontario
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Quebec
  • Alberta
  • Newfoundland
Other
  • Puerto Rico
  • District of Columbia
  • St. Pierre and Miquelon
  • Greenland

  • California Growers Weed Identification Handbook, 1968 - 1998 University of California Publication # 4030-1, See page: 52
  • Garden Weeds of Southern California, 1981, See page: 71
  • Gilkey`s Weeds of the Pacific Northwest, 1980 (ISBN 0-88246-039-0) See page: 216
  • How to Know the Weeds, 1972, (ISBN# 0-697-04880-2) See page: 113
  • Northwest Weeds, 1990 (ISBN 0-87842-249-8) See page: 95
  • Weeds, 1955 (1980) Walter Conrad Muenscher, ISBN# 0-8014-1266-8 See page: 334, 335
  • Weeds, A Golden Guide, 1972 ISBN#0-307-24353-2 See page: 90
  • Weeds of Arkansas 1981 (MP 169-5M-3-81) See page: 54
  • Weeds of California, 1970, State of California Publications and Documents. See page: 332, 333
  • Weeds of California and other Western States, 2007 (ISBN 13: 978-1-879906-69-3) See Page: 1377
  • Weeds of Kentucky and Adjacent States, 1991 (ISBN 0-8131-1743-7) See page: 162
  • Weeds of the Midwestern United States & Central Canada, University of Georgia 2010, ISBN#0-8203-3506-1 See page: 270
  • Weeds of the Northeast, 1956, Univ. of Delaware Field Manual #1 See species #: 174
  • Weeds of the Northeast, 1997 Cornell University ISBN# 0-8014-8334-4 See page: 290
  • Weeds of the Northern United States and Canada, 1964 Montgomery See page: 123
  • Weeds of the United States and Their Control, Lorenzi 1987, ISBN# 0-442-25884-4 See page: 228
  • Listed as a `Weed` by the Biota of North America Program, 2008 X
  • Listed in the WSSA Composite List of Weeds X
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