Anagallis

Anagallis 

a genus of plants of the family Primulaceae. The plants are annual, biennial, or perennial grasses. The generally small and opposite leaves are often sessile. The flowers, which are commonly solitary and axillary, have round or conical blue, red, or white corollas. The fruit is a globose capsule.

There are more than 30 species of Anagallis, distributed in Europe, western Asia, Africa, and South America. The plants have been introduced into North America. One species is encountered in the tropics of both hemispheres. Two species are widespread in the USSR, where they grow primarily as weeds. The pimpernel (A. arvensis) is considered poisonous. Garden varieties, such as the hybrid A. X grandiflora, are cultivated as ornamentals. Sometimes the genus Centunculus, with its single species (C. minimus), is included in the genus Anagallis.