Scarlet pimpernel

[goosey]

Last week I put an image in the gallery of a scarlet pimpernel - Anagallis avensis and I made the comment at the time why was it called "scarlet" when it was orange?
Then today I was looking through a wild flower book and there in the red/pink section was a scarlet pimpernel - why?????

[Suzanne B]

I've got no idea Goosey.
We've got plenty of these lovely looking 'orange' flowers growing in parts of our allotment. I've always wondered what they were called but would never have thought it would be scarlet pimpernel.
And even odder, whilst looking on the internet to see if I could find any reasons for the choice of name, (I only had a quick look so could easily have missed the vital info) I came across a blue version....... which is also called a 'scarlet pimpernel' .
Most odd and unimaginative.

[paul m]

I wouldn't call it 'orange' either! If I had to pick a descriptive I'd probably have gone for 'vermillion'. 'Vermillion pimpernel' isn't very catchy is it - and when I search on the web, vermillion comes out as much the same as scarlet!
The blue form is pretty rare in nature but seed-sellers have selected the blue genes for garden use. Why, I don't know - it's just the sort of thing they do like white Plumbago, red delphiniums and blue roses .... ho hum.

PS: I see that some authorities call it red pimpernel - perhaps they agree with you!

[paul m]

Coincidentally, I photographed a pimpernel over the weekend, in Northamptonshire.

Not only is this one blue but the flowers are approaching 2cms in diameter.

I've been seeing odd flowers recently. Can't blame this one on a seedsman since it's growing in my garden: a pink borage: