Common eyebright
Prepared by Jennifer L. D’Appollonio, Assistant Scientist, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. Updated February 2018.
Scientific name: Euphrasia nemorosa (Pers.) Wallr.
Common name(s): common eyebright, eyebright
Links: USDA PLANTS Profile , NPIN Profile, Go Botany
Images: (to see enlargements [PC]: click on image, then right click and choose “view image”)
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- in flower, mid-August
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- in flower, mid-September
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- note spreading bracts with spreading teeth
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- flower detail
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- a reddish individual
Description:
-annual
-oval, sharply toothed leaves
-low growing
-partially parasitic
- specialized roots to penetrate host roots
-20 different species and 60 hybrids
-may be confused with the similar non-native E. stricta; see left sidebar of Go Botany webpage
Habitat:
-anthropogenic disturbed areas
-grasslands
-meadows
-fields
Natural History:
-has been used in herbal medicine treating
- respiratory issues
- allergies
- eye ailments
Sources:
Go Botany. “Euphrasia Nemorosa (Pers.) Wallr.” Euphrasia Nemorosa (Common Eyebright): Go Botany, 2020, gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/euphrasia/nemorosa/.
The Wildlife Trusts. “Eyebright.” The Wildlife Trusts, www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/wildflowers/eyebright.