Euphrasia agg. Eyebright

Eyebrights are hemi-parasitic annuals that grow in open places such a grassland, forest tracks and open mosaic habitats. With their white or pale violet, two-lipped flowers with yellowish centres striped with purple guide lines, they are quite easy to recognise generically. But they are a difficult group to identify at species level, with 19 named species in the British Flora and as many as 79 hybrids. Some of these are reasonably distinct but in the past the whole aggregate (with the exception of Euphrasia salsburgensis) was lumped into one taxon, Euphrasia officinalis. The availability of the monograph, Eyebrights (Euphtrasia) of the UK and Ireland, by C. Metherell and F. J. Rumsey (BSBI Handbook N0. 18, 2018) has helped to demystify the genus. Nevertheless, they remain challenging and there is a long way to go in West Glamorgan before we can present a clear picture of the status and distribution of named species.