# Common Fumitory (*Fumaria officinalis*) Common Fumitory is a small plant with delicate pink flowers that look like tiny bells. It often grows in gardens and fields, making it a pretty sight to see during springtime. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Urban areas ![Common Fumitory](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/%28MHNT%29_Fumaria_officinalis_-_Habit.jpg&width=800) Photo: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%28MHNT%29_Fumaria_officinalis_-_Habit.jpg) ## Appearance The Common Fumitory is a slender, scrambling plant with delicate, fern-like, grey-green leaves. Its distinctive purplish-pink, tubular flowers have dark red or black tips, growing in loose spikes. These tiny flowers make it look unique. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Ranunculales - **Family:** Papaveraceae - **Genus:** Fumaria ## Interesting facts - Ancient herbalists believed its sap could help clear eyesight, like a 'fume' clearing the eyes! - Its name comes from the Latin 'fumus terrae', meaning 'smoke of the earth', possibly due to its ghostly appearance! - One single plant can produce thousands of seeds, ready to sprout and create an entire field of fumitory! - Though often seen as a weed, its delicate flowers are a miniature beauty often overlooked by busy people. ## Special abilities - **Rapid Responder:** Common Fumitory can quickly grow in disturbed soil, which helps it colonize new areas fast after disruption. - **Chemical Shield:** Common Fumitory has special bitter chemicals that help it deter some hungry animals from eating its leaves. - **Seed Sprinter:** Common Fumitory can produce many tiny seeds that allow it to spread widely and create new plants quickly. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 10-50 cm - **Spread:** 10-60 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.7-0.9 cm - **Bloom Season:** Spring to autumn - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** Mild - **Lifecycle:** Annual - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Honeybee (*Apis mellifera*) — Drinks nectar and collects pollen. - **Pollinates:** Buff-tailed Bumblebee (*Bombus terrestris*) — Visits flowers for nectar and pollen. - **Eaten by:** [Garden Snail](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-snail) (*Helix aspersa*) — Feeds on the leaves of the plant. ## Traits - [Bell-Shaped Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/bell-shaped-flower): Bell-shaped flowers possess petals fused or arranged to form a cup-like or campanulate structure resembling a bell. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Biennial](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/biennial): Biennial plants complete their life cycle over two growing seasons, typically forming foliage in the first year and flowering/seeding in the second. - [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth. - [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always look but don't touch plants unless you know they are safe. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Common Fumitory? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Common Fumitory? 10-50 cm ### How wide does Common Fumitory spread? 10-60 cm ### How big are the flowers on Common Fumitory? 0.7-0.9 cm ### When does Common Fumitory bloom? Spring to autumn ### Is Common Fumitory edible? No ### Is Common Fumitory toxic? Mild ### What is Common Fumitory's lifecycle? Annual ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Common Fumitory: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-fumitory)