Friday, July 17, 2020

Eyebright

This is eyebright, a flower of grasslands and meadows which is so small that it's liable to be overlooked, and I only stopped to spend a few moments bent double taking its picture because I'd come across it before and knew how delicately lovely it was.

It's tiny - I would guess that the flower is about 10mm across - and is little different at first glance from some of the other small wildflowers that are in full bloom in summer. However, small doesn't mean it hasn't character and complexity: apparently there are some twenty species of Euphrasia and scores more hybrids.

It also has its uses. It's name comes from its application in treating eye ailments, though some suggest it is only used as such because the flower looks like a bright, clean and healthy eye.

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