This untidy plant likes to grow in damp places; it is very common in
meadows and in marshes, and it blooms all summer.
The flowers grow in twos and threes, on short stalks which branch
opposite each other near the end of a long slender stem.
The petals are a delicate pale pink, and they are very much cut up into
narrow ragged pieces. You will easily know the Ragged Robin by these
pink petals.
The sepals are joined together into a cup which is cut into teeth all
round the mouth. They are dark green tinged with red, and have many
purple veins running from top to bottom.
The leaves of the Ragged Robin are shaped like a lance. They are long
and narrow with smooth edges, and they grow opposite each other in
pairs, closely clasping the stem. Those leaves that grow close to the
ground have sometimes short stalks.
The upper part of the sticky stem is dark red in colour, and it is
usually rough.