Bastard: Pimpernel

You can often find it in damp hollows, track ruts, the edges of ponds, and seasonally flooded areas where competition from larger, more aggressive plants is minimal.

Bastard Pimpernel is a pioneer species, meaning it is often among the first to colonize disturbed or bare ground.

Modern taxonomy often places it in the genus Lysimachia (as Lysimachia minima ), though older texts almost universally refer to it as Centunculus minimus . Conservation Status bastard pimpernel

Its flowers are almost microscopic, appearing in the leaf axils. They are usually white or pale pink, possessing a four-parted corolla that is shorter than the surrounding green calyx.

The leaves are small, egg-shaped, and arranged alternately along the stem. You can often find it in damp hollows,

It was named for its superficial resemblance to the Scarlet Pimpernel ( Anagallis arvensis ), though it is significantly smaller and less colorful.

Because it is so small and easily overlooked, the true population levels of Bastard Pimpernel can be difficult to track. However, it is considered a in several areas because it relies on "early successional" habitats—places that are periodically disturbed. Without such disturbance, larger plants eventually shade it out. It was named for its superficial resemblance to

The plant produces a small, globular capsule that splits open to release several tiny seeds. Ecology and Habitat