Fumaria Officinalis, Common Fumitory



Common name:
Common fumitory
Scientific name:
Fumaria officinalis
Main flower color:
Range:
All of the UK; least common in the Scottish Highlands
Height:
Up to 20 cm
Habitat:
Fields, verges
Flowers:
Around 8 mm long, pinkish purple in colour, darker at the tip - two partly fused inner petals, an upper petal, hooded at the tip, and a narrower lower petal which is paddle-shaped, widest towards the apex. At the base of the petals are a pair of small sepals (about half as long), lined by irregular teeth. Each flower stalk is subtended by a bract, a little shorter than the stalk
Fruit:
Green, hairless, globular
Leaves:
Pinnately divided two or three times into narrow leaflets, often reddish at the tip
Season:
April to October
Rarity:
★★★★★