Borage Family [Boraginaceae] |
status
flower
flower
flower
flower
(ish)inner
morph
petals
type
stem
sex
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 | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Boraginaceae |
Myosotis (Forget-me-Nots) |
Borage Family [Boraginaceae] |