Myosotis

Scientific name

Myosotis L.

Common names

forget-me-not, true forget-me-not, common forget-me-not, water forget-me-not, marsh forget-me-not, European forget-me-not, large-seed forget-me-not, yelloweye forget-me-not, water scorpion-grass

Family

Boraginaceae

Similar genera

Cardamine, Cuphea, Boltonia, Epilobium

Native distribution

Europe and western Asia

Species cultivated

Myosotis scorpioides L.

Adventive distribution

Myosotis scorpioides is introduced into North America and New Zealand.

Weed status

Myosotis scorpioides can be weedy in aquatic habitats.

Habit

small, creeping to ascending emergentemergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
stem plant

Brief description

Stoloniferous or rhizomatousrhizomatous:
(adj) possessing rhizomes
. Stems creeping to erect, mostly unbranched or upper portion branched, variously covered with appressedappressed:
(adj) pressed closely to or lying flat against
hairs, often rooting at nodes. Leaves alternatealternate:
(adj) (of leaves) bearing one leaf per node; placed singly on the stem at different heights
; sessilesessile:
(adj) attached directly, without a stalk
or shortly petiolatepetiolate:
(adj) relating to or in the form of a petiole; bearing petioles
; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
oblanceolate, becoming oblong-elliptic further up the stem; apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
round; base narrow; margins entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
; midveinmidvein:
(n) the primary, usually central vein of a leaf or leaflet
prominent; sparsely to moderately covered with appressedappressed:
(adj) pressed closely to or lying flat against
hairs. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
a terminalterminal:
(adj) at the apex
helicoidhelicoid:
(adj) coiled like a spiral or helix
cymecyme:
(n) a determinate, usually flat-topped or convex inflorescence in which the terminal flower blooms earliest
, elongating as flowers progressively bloom, covered with appressedappressed:
(adj) pressed closely to or lying flat against
hairs; pedicelspedicels:
(n) the stalk of a single flower in an inflorescence, or of a grass spikelet
slender. Flowers actinomorphicactinomorphic:
(adj) of flowers, having radial symmetry; capable of being bisected into identifical halves along more than one axis
, small, blue with yellow center; calyxcalyx:
(n) the outer whorl of the perianth; all the sepals of a flower
tubular, 5-lobed, lobes triangular, with appressedappressed:
(adj) pressed closely to or lying flat against
hairs; corollacorolla:
(n) the inner whorl(s) of the perianth; all the petals of a flower
short tubulartubular:
(adj) (of a corolla, perianth, calyx tube or other structure) (1) tube-shaped; cylindrical: narrow and elongate with more or less straight sides; (2) having segments fused into a tube (of any shape)
, 5-lobed, lobes rounded, slightly overlapping, spreading; stamens 5; pistilpistil:
(n) the stigma, style, and ovary collectively; the female reproductive organs
and stylestyle:
(n) in a flower, the narrow and elongated part of the pistil between the stigma and the ovary
1.

Natural habitat

in bogs, marshes, ditches, slow-moving water, on margins of streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds

Additional comments

A genus of about 60 mostly terrestrialterrestrial:
(adj) growing on land as opposed to living in water
species; Myosotis scorpioides is an aquatic plant cultivated for use in ponds, stream beds, and bog gardens.