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Euphrasia collina

(Purple Eyebright)

Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Purple Eyebright

Description

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Family Scrophulariaceae

Herbs, sometimes shrubs , rarely trees ; mostly autotrophic, less often hemiparasitic or parasitic. Stipules absent. Leaves alternate, opposite, whorled , or basally opposite and apically alternate, simple or sometimes pinnately dissected . Inflorescences racemes , spikes, or thyrsoid panicles, determinate or indeterminate, or flowers solitary. Flowers perfect , usually zygomorphic, rarely actinomorphic . Calyx often persistent , (2-) 4- or 5-lobed or -parted, variously connate . Corolla sympetalous ; limb (3 or) 4- or 5-lobed, often 2-lipped. Stamens mostly 4, didynamous , sometimes 1 or 2 staminodes present, less often 2 or 5 stamens; anther locules 1 or 2, equal or subequal , free or confluent . Nectary often present at base of ovary, ringlike, cupular, or reduced to a gland . Ovary superior, 2-loculed, rarely apically 1-loculed; ovules numerous , rarely 2 per locule, on axile placentas, anatropous or hemitropous . Style simple; stigma capitate, 2-lobed, or 2-lamellate. Fruit a capsule, septicidal , loculicidal, or septifragal, sometimes opening by pores or irregularly dehiscent , rarely a berry. Seeds minute or rarely conspicuous , sometimes winged ; testa often reticulate ; hilum lateral or ventral; endosperm fleshy or absent; embryo straight or curved .

About 220 genera and 4500 species: cosmopolitan ; 61 genera (seven endemic) and 681 species (415 endemic) throughout China but with a greater concentration in SW China.[1]

Genus Euphrasia

Herbs, annual or perennial , hemiparasitic. Leaves opposite, lower ones usually small, increasing in size upward. Inflorescences terminal spikes or racemes ; bracts larger than leaves, opposite, palmately veined, margin callous thickened dentate . Calyx tubular to campanulate , 4-lobed, more deeply parted medianly than laterally. Corolla tube tubular, apically inflated ; limb 2-lipped; lower lip 3-lobed, lobe apices often emarginate ; upper lip straight, galeate , lobes revolute . Stamens 4, didynamous , anthers connivent and enclosed by galea; locules parallel and free , pointed at base but posterior 2 anthers each with 1 locule spurred, all 4 with barbate hairs along slit. Stigma slightly dilated , entire or 2-lobed. Capsule compressed , 2-grooved, loculicidal, apex obtuse . Seeds numerous , small, ellipsoid , with cross striate wings.

About 200 species: cosmopolitan ; 11 species in China, belonging to 2 disjunct sections .

The taxa in this genus often are hemiparasitic on grasses.[2]

Physical Description

Flowers: Bloom Period: March. • Flower Color: purple

Size/Age/Growth

Size: under 6" tall.

Habitat

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 1,397 meters (0 to 4,583 feet).[3]

Biology

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Growth

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade.

Taxonomy

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Notes

Place of publication : Prodr. 436. 1810

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Euphrasia

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 707 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

E. abscondita · E. adenocaulon · E. adenonota · E. aequalis (Eyebright) · E. agrestis · E. ajanensis · E. alba · E. albimontana · E. algoviana · E. alpestris · E. alpigena · E. alpina · E. alpina asturica · E. alpina cantabrica · E. alpina pulchra · E. alpina subsp. pulchra · E. alpina var. alpina · E. alpina var. angustifolia · E. alpina var. humilis · E. alpinus · E. alsa · E. altaica · E. altaica glabra · E. amblyodonta · E. americana · E. americana var. canadensis · E. amphisysepala · E. andicola · E. anglica · E. anitae · E. antarctica · E. aranica · E. arbiniana · E. arctica · E. arctica f. minutissima · E. arctica minor · E. arctica slovaca · E. arctica subsp. slovaca · E. arctica subsp. tenuis · E. arctica tenuis · E. arctica var. inundata · E. arctica var. minutissima · E. arctica var. obtusata · E. arctica var. submollis · E. arguta · E. aristulata · E. aromatica · E. artica · E. arveti · E. aspera · E. asperrima · E. asturica · E. atro-violacea · E. atropurpurea · E. atroviolacea · E. aurea · E. australis · E. azorica · E. bahiensis · E. bajankolica · E. bakurianica · E. bavarica · E. bella · E. berggreni · E. bhutanica · E. biancae · E. bicknelli · E. bicolcor · E. bicolor · E. bilineata · E. bipinnatifida · E. bocconi · E. bonifaciensis · E. bonnieri · E. borderi · E. borealis · E. borneensis · E. borsei · E. bottnica · E. bowdeniae · E. brandisii · E. brevipila · E. brigantiaca · E. broussei · E. brownii · E. brownii var. alpina · E. brownii var. brownii · E. brownii var. collina · E. brownii var. psilantherea · E. brownii var. speciosa · E. caerulea · E. caespitosa · E. calida · E. callida · E. callosa · E. calvescens · E. cambrica · E. campbellae · E. campbelliae · E. campestris

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 15, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Deyuan Hong, Hanbi Yang, Cun-li Jin, Manfred A. Fischer, Noel H. Holmgren & Robert R. Mill "Scrophulariaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 18 Page 1. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. "Euphrasia". in Flora of China Vol. 18 Page 92. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  3. Mean = 523.160 meters (1,716.404 feet), Standard Deviation = 388.290 based on 406 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 7/2/2009