OYSTERPLANT

Mertensia maritima

Borage Family [Boraginaceae]  

month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8Aug

status
statusZnative
flower
flower8bicolour
flower
flower8blue
inner
inner8purple
morph
morph8actino
petals
petalsZ5
stem
stem8round
rarity
rarityZscarce

End of July, 2009, Orkney, Scotland. Photo: © Derek Mayes
The plant is without hairs, the leaves are glaucous green although maybe not always this pale-green/blue.


26th June 2009, Orkney, Scotland. Photo: © Phil And Ann Farrer
The stems are prostrate and either green or purple and usually decumbent, growing up to 60cm long.


26th June 2009, Orkney, Scotland. Photo: © Phil And Ann Farrer
The flowers are


26th June 2009, Orkney, Scotland. Photo: © Phil And Ann Farrer
Before opening the flowers are red but turn a deep blue when they are opening.


26th June 2009, Orkney, Scotland. Photo: © Phil And Ann Farrer
The upper leaves are without stalks, the lower ones on short stalks.


26th June 2009, Orkney, Scotland. Photo: © Phil And Ann Farrer


2nd Aug 2005, Orkney, Scotland. Photo: © Derek Mayes
The flowers are blue (or pink and blue) when open with the calyx tube much shorter than the grown flower.


2nd Aug 2005, Orkney, Scotland. Photo: © Derek Mayes
The calyx tube is 6mm across with but 4 teeth and cups the flower (one source says they have 5 sepals, but that does not seem to be the case on this photo). But this must be an aberration - other photos of Oysterplant on the web do indeed have 5 sepals.

The flower corolla should also have 5 petals.



2nd Aug 2005, Orkney, Scotland. Photo: © Derek Mayes
The leaves are between a very short 0.6mm long to 6cm long, a ten-fold range in size. It looks like they have tiny pimples, at least on their upper surface.

On the central opened blue flower can be espied the stigma and some of the 5 stamens within, which are equal in length.


Distinguishing Feature : Prostrate upon the ground, with greyish-green leaves looking more like a succulent (Sedum) than a member of the Borage Family. Flowers typical of many members of the Borage family: pinky-purple turning to blue. Flowers tubular with 5 end-lobes, or petals.

Grows on shingle near the sea. Decreasing in extent, now confined mostly to Scotland. The leaves taste of oysters, hence the common name.


  Mertensia maritima  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Boraginaceae  

Distribution
family8FFF family8fff
 BSBI maps
genus8mertensia
Mertensia
(Oysterplants)

OYSTERPLANT

Mertensia maritima

Borage Family [Boraginaceae]  

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