CHANGING FORGET-ME-NOT

Myosotis discolor

Borage Family [Boraginaceae]

month8may month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8aug month8sep month8sept

status
statusZnative
 
flower
flower8yellow
 
flower
flower8white
 
flower
flower8azure
 
flower
flower8blue
(ish)
inner
inner8yellow
 
morph
morph8actino
 
petals
petalsZ5
 
type
typeZspiked
 
stem
stem8round
 
sex
sexZbisexual
 

Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Grows to 25cm high but usually much shorter. These specimens mostly in fruiting stage; only a few still flowering.


Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
The flowering spike is curled into a spiral at first, but later straightens up and elongates - see photo below.


3rd May 2014, Guernsey. Photo: © Maryline Calabrin
the flowers usually start off either bright yellow or a paler yellow, but can also be creamy coloured. Later on the flowers turn pink or blue.


Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Changing Forget-me-not is very similar to Early Forget-me-not and grows in similar places but has a smaller corolla < 4mm across. Also the purplish sepal teeth are usually oblong-lanceolate and are covered in short white hairs.


3rd May 2014, Guernsey. Photo: © Maryline Calabrin
There is another Forget-me-not which can have yellow unopened flowers but when they open up they turn blue: Creeping Forget-me-not. But Changing Forget-me-not can have opened-up yellow petals. The now slightly opened-out sepal cup at the bottom will contain a developing fruit.


3rd May 2014, Guernsey. Photo: © Maryline Calabrin
Stem hairs appressed.


29th April 2006, Ninham, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
It is likely that this is the sub-species ssp. discolor (rather than the rarer ssp. dubia) because the uppermost stem leaves are alternate.


May, 2018, roadside, Aberdaron, Lleyn Peninsula, North Wales. Photo: Jill Stott
Leaves have long hairs. It is likely that this is also the sub-species ssp. discolor (rather than the rarer ssp. dubia) because the uppermost stem leaves are alternate.


May, 2018, roadside, Aberdaron, Lleyn Peninsula, North Wales. Photo: Jill Stott
Flower spike now almost fully straightened up, with most flowers having turned to fruit.
This is ssp. discolor displaying bright yellow and white flowers. There is also a shrivelled-up pale blue flower just above those - it is at the stage just before the style turns brownish (top right corner).
The nectary glands form a yellow annulus right around the stamens (which are just visible within the yellow ring of the white-petalled flower). This yellow ring releases a more intense scent than the surfaces of the petals.


Easily mistaken for : Early Forget-me-not (Myosotis ramosisimma)

There are two sub-species:

  • (Myosotis discolor ssp. discolour) where the topmost stem leaves are nearly opposite, the calyx is bell-shaped with calyx teeth not converging when fruiting and the flower corolla is yellow at first and between 1.5mm to 4mm across.
  • (Myosotis discolor ssp. dubia) where the topmost stem leaves are alternate, the calyx is pear shaped with calyx teeth convergent when fruiting, and the corolla is white to cream coloured at first.
It is thought that all the above photos conform to ssp. discolor.


USE BY BUTTERFLIES
LAYS EGGS ON CATERPILLAR CHRYSALIS BUTTERFLY
Holly Blue



  Myosotis discolor  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Boraginaceae  

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

CHANGING FORGET-ME-NOT

Myosotis discolor

Borage Family [Boraginaceae]