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Orobanchaceae
Eyebright
Euphrasia officinalis
clarity and insight.
- Family
- Orobanchaceae
- Genus
- Euphrasia
- Native to
- Europe
- Bloom season
- Summer, Fall
- Type
- annual
- Height
- 5-25 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- poor, well-drained, grassy
- Water
- low to moderate
- Hardiness
- 2-8
- Lifespan
- annual
Did you know
- Eyebright has been used since the Middle Ages as an herbal remedy for eye ailments, and its genus name Euphrasia means gladness in Greek.
- It is a hemiparasite that attaches to the roots of grasses to steal water and nutrients while also photosynthesizing on its own.
- The tiny flowers have markings that resemble a bloodshot eye, which led herbalists to use it for eye conditions under the Doctrine of Signatures.
- There are over 450 species of Euphrasia worldwide, many of which are extremely difficult to tell apart.
- Milton referenced eyebright in Paradise Lost, where the archangel Michael uses it to clear Adam's vision.
Color meanings
0
clarity
1
insight
2
clear vision
3
truth