Lysimachia nummularia - Creeping Jenny - (Primulaceae)

This plant is native to the UK and can be found throughout Britain and Ireland, but there is a cultivar that has escaped from gardens and also appears in the countryside which has many more flowers than the wild plant.

This low-growing creeper is a member of the primrose family, and it is found in damp grassy places away from bright sunlight. The flowers are typically 2 cm across. Creeping Jenny is a close relative of the Yellow Pimpernel, which has narrower leaves and smaller flowers.

Creeping Jenny

The more flowers Creeping Jenny plants have the more likely they are to be the garden escape.

The first yellow flowers of creeping jenny appear in May, and blooming usually continues until mid August.

Creeping Jenny is widespread throughout northern and central Europe and we have photographed it in Slovenia.

The plant on this page was photographed in West Wales in July.