The name derives from the Greek anagallís, «pimpinella». Although many species of this genus are perennial, it is common in cultivation practice to treat them as annual plants. They are all rather low and often have a creeping course; for this reason they are used for borders and in border, in the first line.
Anagallis arvensis, anagallis, prostrate, with quadrangular stem and red corolla, blooms in summer, grows wild in gardens and cultivated land and its seeds are poisonous for small birds; var. cerulea, with blue flowers, phoenicea, with red flowers, latifolia, with blue flowers; Anagallis linifolia (30 cm), with a gracile stem, elongated or lanceolate leaves, 10-12 mm flowers, blue, with a red spot in the center, blooms in June-July; it is a species rich in var .: breweri, with red flowers; hill, with purple pink flowers; lilacina, lilac; monellii has bigger flowers than the same species; phillipsii, with intense gentian blue flowers; Anagallis tenella (10-15 cm), with a corolla much larger than the glass, about 10-15 mm, pink with darker veins, blooms in summer. These three species are spontaneous in Italy, but the last two are cultivated more often for ornamental purposes.
A. arvensis and A. linifolia love the sun and require normal garden soil; A. tenella prefers wet and also swampy areas. They can be sown at the beginning of spring and transplanted in June, or sow directly in April; Anagallis linifolia can be multiplied by division and, being perennial, can be left in place.
Read also: Anacyclus (Compositae)