Annual, semiparasitic herbs. Branches villose glandular – eglandular hairy, with varying internodal distances. Cauline leaves ovate-broadly ovate, rarely elliptic, with truncate to cuneate base, 2-6 lobed; terminal and lateral lobes acute, acuminate or aristulate, rarely obtuse, upper antrorse, lower patent or all lobes antrorse. Leaves eglandular-glandular hairy. Inflorescence raceme or spike. Flowers pedicellate or sessile. Floral leaves similar to the cauline leaves in shape and indumentum but larger in size. Calyx 4-lobed, lobes equal or unequal, lanceolate, aristulate. Corolla white, pink or lavender, sometimes violet streaked, throat yellow, bilipped, externally pubescent especially on the upper lip and the tube; upper lip 2-lobed, lobes equal; lower lip 3-lobed, lobes unequal, usually middle one largest; right and left lobes equal or unequal, deflexed-spreading, oblong, obovate or spathulate, emarginate or obcordate, erose-slightly notched or erose-deeply notched or only deeply notched. Stamens 4, anthers proximally or distally ciliate; 2 awned, awns equal or unequal. Ovary bilocular; stigma capitate. Capsule oblong or obovate, retuse or emarginated, ciliate at the upper end or all over. Seeds 10-14, oblong, acute or obtuse with small white wings.
A genus with c. 450 species, distributed in Central Asia, temperate mountains of Malaysia, Europe, North and temperate South America, New Zealand and Australia. Represented in Pakistan by 30 taxa. Most of our species are found in Kashmir and the northern areas of Pakistan.
It is a fairly intricate genus. Interspecific hybridization, seasonal diamorphism, early summer forms (aestival) and late summer forms (vernal) are frequently reported in various species of Euphrasia. Both aestival and vernal forms are sometimes so distinct from each other that they can easily be mistaken for two different entities.
In the APG III classification (2009) Euphrasia is included in the family Orobanchaceae due to its parasitic or hemiparasitic nature and cytochrome A evidence.