WOOD FORGET-ME-NOT

Myosotis sylvatica

Borage Family [Boraginaceae]

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status
statusZnative		 flower
flower8bicolour		 flower
flower8azure		 flower
flower8yellow		 inner
inner8yellow		 inner
inner8white		 morph
morph8actino		 petals
petalsZ5		 stem
stem8round

30th March 2009, Shide, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Grows from 15 to 50cm high. A garden plant which escapes, but is also a native plant.


30th March 2009, Shide, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Some books claim that the stem has only erect hairs (rather than appressed close to the stem). These specimens conform to that point of view. They also conform regarding the 'spoon-shaped' lower leaves which are attached to the main stem by a long winged part, with the distant end being oval(ish) and without pointed ends. (The upper leaves lack wings; they are attached to the stem by only a very short stalk (if any) and are allowed to have pointed ends).


30th March 2009, Shide, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Upper leaves with pointed terminations. Some have a yellow inner, whilst others have a white inner.


7th April 2011, Firestone Copse, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone


19th April 2011, Greenfield, Gtr M/cr. Photo: © RWD
In a hedge-bank affording partial shade, to which Wood Forget-me-not is partial. With perhaps some none-flowering basal shoots but lacking any runners.


19th April 2011, Greenfield, Gtr M/cr. Photo: © RWD
Lowest leaves and basal leaves have a winged stem.


19th April 2011, Greenfield, Gtr M/cr. Photo: © RWD
Stem has mostly erect hairs.


19th April 2011, Greenfield, Gtr M/cr. Photo: © RWD
The usual corymb of developing flower buds tightly curled up like the developing fronds on Bracken. Hairs on both sides of leaves.


19th April 2011, Greenfield, Gtr M/cr. Photo: © RWD
Flower corolla less than 5mm across and saucer-shaped (i.e. not planar). The saucer-shape arises because the calyx is longer than the corolla tube, forcing the petals upwards at a slight angle (rather than straight outwards as they would ordinarily assume in Forget-me-nots).


19th April 2011, Greenfield, Gtr M/cr. Photo: © RWD
Petal colour varies between azure blue and sky-blue-pink. Garden escapees often have brighter colours and are more pinky (but not perky :-).


19th April 2011, Greenfield, Gtr M/cr. Photo: © RWD
The inner torroidal shaped object in segments can be either white or yellow and around which are 5 white radial slightly-raised 'spokes' on the petals. Less pronounced slightly raised whitish spokes may also occur in the centre of the petal where it meets the fornice. The yellow object is called the fornice and not all Forget-me-nots have them. They are actually segmented into 5 pairs. The white rays are called the appendages, and are folds or kinks formed where the petals fuse.

Not to be semantically confused with : Wood Speedwell (Veronica montana), Wood-sedge (Carex sylvatica), Woodruff (Galium odoratum), Wood Sage (Teucrium scorodonia), Wood Avens (Geum urbanum), etc [plants with similar names belonging to differing families].

Easily mis-identified as : A variation of Field Forget-me-Not (Myosotis avensis) called Myosotis avensis var. sylvestris is often mistaken for Wood Forget-me-not.

Many similarities to : many other Forget-me-nots (a really good guide is needed to differentiale between the dozen or more species; Clive Staces' 'New Flora', comprehensive as it is, is unfortunately insufficiently detailed for the purpose.


USE BY BUTTERFLIES
LAYS EGGS ON CATERPILLAR CHRYSALIS BUTTERFLY
✓
Holly Blue


  Myosotis sylvatica  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Boraginaceae  

Distribution
family8Borage family8Boraginaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Myosotis
Myosotis
(Forget-me-Nots)

WOOD FORGET-ME-NOT

Myosotis sylvatica

Borage Family [Boraginaceae]