CHAFFWEED

Lysimachia minima

(Formerly: Centunculus minimus)
(Formerly: Anagallis minima)
Myrsine Family [Myrsinaceae]

month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8aug

status
statusZnative
 
flower
flower8pink
or
flower
flower8white
or
morph
morph8actino
 
petals
petalsZ5
or
petals
petalsZ4
or
stem
stem8round
 
rarity
rarityZuncommon
 
sex
sexZbisexual
 

18th Sept 2013, New Forest, Hampshire. Photo: © Dawn Nelson
The leaves are broad and look surprisingly reminiscent to those in the basal rosette of Springbeauty (which is in a totally differing family) apart from the long flat stalks those leaves are on. The plant is short and there are at least 13 spherical opal-coloured fruits on this specimen.


18th Sept 2013, New Forest, Hampshire. Photo: © Dawn Nelson
The corolla of the flowers (none present in these photos from September) are a mere 1 to 2mm across and either white or pink.
The round pink-white pods and their 4 to 5 narrow-diamond shaped sepals are the only parts left of the flower.


18th Sept 2013, New Forest, Hampshire. Photo: © Dawn Nelson
The leaves are on short stalks, pointed oval, ov various widths, mostly in bunches near the summit.


18th Sept 2013, New Forest, Hampshire. Photo: © Dawn Nelson
The leaves, which are in pairs until the upper part of the plant where they are alternate, are a small 3 to 5mm and have a mottled appearance. The flowers (here turned to fruits) are solitary in the axis of the leaves.


18th Sept 2013, New Forest, Hampshire. Photo: © Dawn Nelson
On the bottom two fruits you can count 5 green sepals underneath them. [The long narrow leaves at the bottom are of some other plant]


Easily confused with : Flower () [plants with similar names belonging to differing families]

Not to be semantically confused with : Flower () [a plant with similar name]

Easily mistaken for : Flower ()

Easily mis-identified as : Flower ()

Some similarities to : Flower ()

Slight resemblance to : Flower ()

Superficial resemblance to : Flower ()

Lookee-Likees : Flower ()

Uniquely identifiable characteristics

Distinguishing Feature :

No relation to : Flower () [plants with similar names belonging to differing families].

Photos of the flowers required if anyone can oblige please.

It is an uncommon [R] plant which occurs on damp, bare, sandy ground on heather moors and heaths and also in woodland near paths. It is scattered over much of the British Isles but mainly near western coasts.

Formerly it has had several botanical names and now finds itself residing in the same genus as many of the Loosestrifes and Pimpernels with Sea Milkwort and Creeping Jenny.


  Lysimachia minima  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Myrsinaceae  

Distribution
 family8Myrsine family8Myrsinaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Lysimachia
Lysimachia
(Loosestrifes)

CHAFFWEED

Lysimachia minima

(Formerly: Centunculus minimus)
(Formerly: Anagallis minima)
Myrsine Family [Myrsinaceae]