Alkanets, Hound’s-tongues & Forgetmenots
Borage Family - Boraginaceae
Yellow Gromwell Neatostema apulumNative throughout the Mediterranean Region, from Macaronesia to the Middle East. In dry, stony places.
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Field Gromwell Buglossoides arvensis
Native throughout almost all of temperate and warm temperate Eurasia. An annual, often on the margins of disturbed or cultivated ground.
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Dyer's Alkanet Alkanna tinctoria
Native throughout the Mediterranean Region and much of eastern Europe. In dry, grassy places.
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Intermediate Alkanet Anchusa hybrida
Native throughout southern Europe, eastwards to Central Asia (replaced in Iberia by Anchusa undulata, with the two once considered to be subspecies of the same species). Scattered in dry, grassy places.
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Large Blue Alkanet Anchusa azurea
Native throughout southern Europe, eastwards to Central Asia. In dry, grassy places.
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Common Borage Borago officinalis
Native to the Mediterranean Region but widely cultivated and introduced elsewhere. Easily recognised by its bristly leaves and distinctive flowers like no other species that is likely in the region. Flowers usually bright blue but occasionally pink or white.
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Madwort Asperugo procumbens
Native throughout almost all of temperate and warm temperate Eurasia. An annual, often on the margins of disturbed or cultivated ground. A bristly plant with hooked hairs on the angled stems that allow it to scramble through other vegetation. Flowers tiny, blue with purple at the centre. The deeply lobed sepals persist after flowering and enlarge to envelope the developing nutlets.
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Field Forget-me-not Myosotis arvensis
Native throughout northern Europe and Asia, southward to the Mediterranean Region. Plants to 50cm in height and typically rather spindly. Flowers up to 5mm across, pale sky blue. Hairs on calyx spreading, stiff and hooked. Style shorter than the calyx tube; individual flower stalks at fruiting up to two times as long as calyx.
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Early Forget-me-not Myosotis ramosissima
Native throughout Europe and most of the Mediterranean Region. Plants to 25cm in height but often much less - just 2cm is typical on very dry sites. Flowers tiny, 3mm across, blue. Hairs on calyx spreading, stiff and hooked. Style shorter than the calyx tube; individual flower stalks at fruiting shorter than or as long as calyx.
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Changing Forget-me-not Myosotis discolor
Native throughout Europe and most of the Mediterranean Region. Plants to 30cm in height but often less, especially on very dry sites. Flowers tiny, 2mm across, opening pale cream and gradually changing through pale yellow to blue as they mature. Hairs on calyx spreading, stiff and hooked. Style longer than the calyx tube; individual flower stalks at fruiting shorter than calyx.
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Jersey Forget-me-not Myosotis sicula
Native to the Mediterranean Region. Scarce in wet places. A small annual to biennial, sparsely covered in flattened hairs on leaves, stems and calyxes. Calyx dividied to about a third. Fruiting pedicels about equal in length to the calyxes when fully developed. Petals 2-4mm across.
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Blue Hound's-tongue Cynoglossum creticum
Native to the Mediterranean Region, eastwards to Central Asia. Frequent in grassy places.
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