Native Bulbs

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Scarlet Pimpernel
Anagallis arvensis

Other Names:   Poor Man's Weatherglass, Shepherd's Sundial, Laughter Bringer
Distribution:  Native, common throughout Britain. 
Habitat:  Found on cultivated land, waste ground and dunes.
Description:  Annual.  Low growing, prostrate plant with red flowers with a purple eye from May to August.  This plant is also known as the Poor Man's Weatherglass because its flowers close when the sun goes in.
Uses:  It was once thought to cure madness and dispel melancholy which is why it was call Laughter Bringer in Somerset.
Wildlife:   The flowers contain no nectar or scent and so are not visited by many insects.

 Sowing Instructions for Seeds:  Sow seed in situ during spring.