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Drug eyebright
Euphrasia stricta
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Alien species
Drug eyebright is a tiny annual wildflower that lives partly at the expense of nearby plants by tapping their roots. It is most often seen in open, grassy places and along roads and paths. The flowers are small and pale blue‑purple with a two‑lipped shape.
Did you know?
- The name “eyebright” comes from old folk beliefs that it could help eye troubles.
- It is a semi‑parasite: its roots connect to neighbours and steal a share of water and nutrients.
About the species
Identification
A small upright plant, 5–20 cm tall, sometimes much branched. Leaves are small, egg‑shaped, sit directly on the stem and have sharp teeth; they are in pairs lower down and may seem to twist around near the top. The plant is smooth or slightly hairy. Flowers sit in the angles of the upper leaves; they are pale blue to lilac, about 7–10 mm long, with two lips: a short upper lip with two lobes and a larger lower lip with three notched lobes. Later it forms small, flat pods. Other eyebrights look very similar; telling the exact species often needs expert study. Flowers in Finland from July to August.
Plant group
Herbaceous plants
Habitat
meadow
Flowering
Jul–Aug
About the habitat
Open, sunny grasslands and pastures, road verges and embankments, yards, moist meadows and dry rocky grasslands, often on nutrient‑rich ground. Common in most of the country; rare in northern Lapland.
Sources
Photo: Марина Давлетшина, CC BY 4.0 https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/6480106893
Text: Pinkka: Pieni maatalouslajintuntemus - Puuvartiset, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39638
Text: Pinkka: IPS-153 Flora of Subarctic Europe - Comarum-Frangula, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39638
Text: Pinkka: A Pohjolan kasveja - Gagea-Hepatica, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39638
Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketosilm%C3%A4ruoho
