Orobanchaceae

(=Scrophulariaceae)

Broomrapes

Streeter et al., (2016), 'Family key' describes Scrophulariaceae (which includes Veronicaceae, Orobanchaceae and Phrymaceae) as:

"Flowers irregular

Leaves alternate or opposite; stamens 2, 4, or 5; ovary not 4-lobed (some species resemble Lamiaceae but the lack of the 4-lobed ovary will distinguish them)"

For the specimen(s) below, hover over image in gallery for description and select for a full screen preview.

ID: 045

Date: 11 Jun 2024

Locality: Calvert Jubilee nature reserve

Location (Lat/Long): 51.922, -1.009

Landscape/habitat: Grassland, short sward. 

Identification notes: I had made my way to the grassland area of the site as I thought I might find some yellow-rattle here but couldn't see any. I was actually looking at another plant close by when I spotted this very small looking plant. 

Streeter et al. (2016, p. 424) describes Eyebrights Euphrasia as 'annual partial parasites on the roots of various grassland perennials' but notes that they are 'extremely difficult to identify' and any identification should be 'based on several well-grown, undamaged plants with fruits as well as open flowers'. This was the only specimen I could see at the time, it was very tiny, and I could not stay on site for much longer.

I used the Pl@ntNet app (CIRAD et al., 2024)which gave 22% match to E. nemorosa. Checking in Street et al. (2016, p. 426) this is the most common Euphrasia in Britain. I'm not sure if this makes the match more likely, or if the app has identified it as most likely being that because it is the most common!

Name: Eyebright, Euphrasia .sp

References

CIRAD, INRAE, INRIA and IRD (2024) Pl@ntNet. Available at: https://plantnet.org/en/ (Accessed: 11 June 2024).

Streeter, D., Hart-Davies, C., Hardcastle, A., Cole, F. and Harper, L. (2016) Collins wild flower guide. Revised and updated 2nd edition. edn. London: William Collins.