A low-growing herb of the genus Anagallis (family Primulaceae) that bears tiny bell-shaped or almost flat flowers on short stalks. There are about 30 species, most native to Western Europe. The scarlet pimpernel (A. arvensis), with flowers that may be pink or blue and that open only in bright sunshine, is the best known, and naturalized worldwide. There is also a separate blue pimpernel (A. foemina) and a yellow pimpernel (Lysimachia nemorum), the latter found in shady places.