Scarlet Pimpernel | Plant Information

Plant Data

Order:

Ericales

Family:

Primulaceae (Primrose)

Flowering Months:

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Flowers:

5 petals fringed with hairs. Despite the name, the flowers are orange and not scarlet red.

Fruit:

A brown, round fruit capsule which contains many seeds. Ripens from August to October. Up to 6mm across.

Leaves:

The leaves are stalkless and grow in opposite pairs along the stems. They are oval-elliptical with pointed tips. The leaf margins are not toothed. The undersides of the leaves are black-dotted and have many dense white hairs.

Maximum Size:

40cm tall.

Foraging Notes:

The leaves can be eaten either raw or cooked and make a good addition to salads. You can use Scarlet Pimpernel as a substitute for spinach. The shoots can be cooked and eaten like vegetables.
Never consume a wild plant unless you are 100% certain that it is safe to eat and you know that you have identified it correctly.

Other Names:

Adder's Eyes, Bird's Tongue, Bird's-eye, Blue Pimpernel, Burnet Rose, Clockflower, Common Pimpernel, Cure-all, Eyebright, John-go-to-bed-at-noon, Laughter Bringer, Little Joan, Male Pimpernel, Merecrop, Orange Lily Pernel, Poor Man's Barometer, Poor Man's Weather Glass, Red Chickweed, Red Pimpernel, Shepherd's Calendar, Shepherd's Clock, Shepherd's Delight, Shepherd's Glass, Shepherd's Sundial, Shepherd's Warning, Shepherd's Watch, Shepherd's Weather Glass, Sunflower, Tom Pimpernowl, Waywort, Weather-glass, Winco-pipe, Wink-a-peep.

Habitats:

Beaches, cliffs, farmland, gardens, grassland, lawns, meadows, parkland, roadsides, sand dunes, sea cliffs, wasteland.