Ivydene Gardens Adder's Tongue to Borage Wild Flower Families Gallery:
Borage Family

Click on Underlined Text in:-

Common Name to view that Plant Description Page
Botanical Name to link to Plant or Seed Supplier
Flowering Months to view photos
Habitat to view further Natural Habitat details and Botanical Society of the British Isles Distribution Map

Borage Family:-

"All our members of this family have alternate, undivided leaves, and all but one are roughly hairy. Flowers usually in 1-sided spikes, which are tightly curled at first, like a scorpion's tail, and gradually unroll; buds opening blue; corolla and calyx with parts in 5's. Fruits consisting of 4 nutlets surrounded by the calyx." from Collins Pocket Guide to Wild Flowers by David McClintock and R.S.R. Fitter assisted by Francis Rose - ISBN 0 00 219363 9 - Eleventh Impression 1978

Borage Family plant table with its Common Name - Botanical Name. Flowering Months Range. Habitat with link to that Wild Flower Gallery:-

Common Name

Botanical Name

Flowering Months

Habitat

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

(Oriental Borage)

Trachystemon orientalis

March-April, before the leaves

This plant has naturalized throughout the UK. It was first introduced as an ornamental, but records indicate established escapee populations in some areas of England date back to 1868. Here's a more recent distribution map

Alpine Forget-me-not

Myosotis alpestris

July-August

A perennial herb found in two contrasting habitats: heavily-grazed limestone grassland on base-rich well-drained soils in the Pennines, and both on and below mica-schist ledges on ungrazed cliffs in Perthshire, often in open communities. Reproduction is by seed. From 685 m in Teesdale (N.W. Yorks. and Westmorland) to 1180 m on Ben Lawers (Mid Perth).

Blue-eyed-Mary

Omphalodes verna

March-May

This creeping perennial is a garden escape or outcast which has become naturalised in woodland and along lanes. Lowland.

Borage

Borago officinalis

June onwards

An annual occurring as a casual garden escape on roadsides and waste ground. It also arises from bird-seed and as a relic of cultivation as a minor crop. It is rarely naturalised. Lowland, with an exceptional record at 425 m (Alston, Cumberland).

Flower from Chatham in Kent on 8 September

White Flower

Foliage from St Davids on 15 July

Form from St Davids on 15 July

Changing Forget-me-not

Myosotis discolor

May onwards

An annual of open grassland and disturbed ground occurring in a wide range of habitats, including fen- and hay-meadows, pastures, moorland edges, marshes, dune-slacks, arable field margins, road verges, railway tracks, chalk- and gravel-pits, rocks and walls. Generally lowland, but reaching 610 m on Little Fell (Westmorland) and 845 m on Great Dun Fell (Westmorland).

Flower from Lizard on 19 May

Flowers from Hothfield

Foliage from Littlestone on 29 April

Form from Littlestone on 29 April

Toxicity of Common Comfrey :-

Another problem with comfrey is that it contains at least eight pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA). While the level of PAs in fresh plant may not be very high, ready-to-use preparation often have high levels (e.g., 270-2900 mg/kg). PAs are hepatoxins and can cause irreversible liver damage. One of the problems is that the effects of the alkaloids can be cumulative. Therefore, damage to the liver may not be associated to the alkaloids in comfrey. Sometimes toxicity signs will not be present until an animal is stressed by something that requires greater liver function (e.g., lactation). Also, the leaves and roots of comfrey have been shown to be carcinogenic. PAs from comfrey given to rats caused mortality. Liver pathology was characteristic of PA toxicosis. When rats were fed dietary levels of 0.5% roots and 8% leaves, they formed hepatomas.

Common Comfrey

Symphytum officinale

May onwards

This tall perennial herb occurs on the banks of streams and rivers, in ditches, fens and marshes, and on damp road verges. Generally lowland, reaching 320 m near Buxton (Derbys.).

Flower

Flowers

Foliage

Form

Common Foreget-me-not

(Field Forget-me-not)

Myosotis arvensis

April onwards

An annual or biennial herb of open or disturbed ground, especially cultivated fields. Other habitats include woodland edges, open grassland, hedges, scrub, roadsides, walls and quarries. 0-610 m (Nenthead, Cumberland), and exceptionally at 845 m on Great Dun Fell (Westmorland).

Flower

Flowers

Foliage from Higham in Kent

Form

Common Gromwell

Lithospermum officinale

June-July

A shortly rhizomatous perennial herb which grows in grassland, hedgerows and wood margins, mostly on base-rich soils. Lowland.

Flower

Flowers

Foliage

Form from Berryhead in Devon

Common Lungwort

Pulmonaria officinalis

March-May

A perennial herb, naturalised in woodlands and scrub, on banks and rough ground, and also occurring on rubbish tips and waste ground. Generally lowland, but reaching 385 m (Forest-in-Teesdale, Co. Durham). .

Flower from Rochester in Kent

Flowers

Foliage

Form

Corn Gromwell

(Field Gromwell)

Buglossoides arvensis

(Lithospermum arvense)

May-July

An annual of arable fields, occasionally found on waste ground and in other disturbed habitats, favouring light, dry, calcareous soils. Seed is short-lived and populations depend upon regular disturbance for survival. Lowland. A new crop for the UK

Flower from Otford on 2 September

Flowers

Foliage

Form from Otford on 2 September

Creeping Water Forgetmenot

(Creeping Forget-me-not)

Myosotis secunda

(Myosotis repens, Myosotis palustris), Myosotis scorpioides)

June onwards

A stoloniferous annual to perennial herb found by streams and pools, in marshy pasture, moorland flushes and springs. It prefers acid peaty soils, and usually avoids calcareous soils. 0-805 m (Carnedd Llewelyn, Caerns.).

Early Forgetmenot

Myosotis hispida

(Myosotis ramosissima)

April-June

An annual of open habitats or bare ground on dry, relatively infertile soils. It is found in chalk and limestone grassland, on sandy heaths and banks, stabilised dunes, the borders of sandy cultivated fields, railway tracks, rocks, walls, gravel-pits, quarry spoil and waste ground. 0-430 m (above Swindale, Brough, Westmorland).

Flower

Flowers

Foliage from Deep Dale

Form

Green Alkanet

Pentaglottis sempervirens

April onwards

This erect perennial herb is mostly found near habitation in lightly shaded habitats, including waste ground, roadside-banks, hedgerows, scrub and woodland, but it also grows on riversides. It reproduces prolifically from seed and can be very invasive. Generally lowland, but reaching 380 m at Upper Glenlivet (Banffs.).

Flower from near Porthleven in Cornwall

Flowers

Foliage

Form

Green Houndstongue

Cynoglossum germanicum

May-July

A biennial or short-lived perennial herb of glades in or margins of deciduous woodland, usually Fagus or Quercus; sometimes also occurring in hedge banks. It is found mainly on calcareous, freely-draining, loamy soils. Lowland

Flower from Kent

Flowers from Kent

Foliage

Form

Houndstongue

Cynoglossum officinale

June-August

A biennial herb of disturbed ground, growing mostly on dry, often base-rich soils. Habitats include coastal dunes, shingle, open grassland, woodland margins and clearings, field edges, cleared land and gravelly waste. It is unpalatable to grazing animals and is often frequent on disturbed ground by rabbit warrens. Generally lowland, but reaching 400 m on Eglwyseg Rocks, Llangollen (Denbs.).

Flower

Flowers

Foliage

Form

Jersey Forget-me-not

Myosotis sicula

Jersey government has a BioDiversity Action Plan on this plant.

April-June

An annual only ever known from two sites on Jersey, in damp places on Ouaisné Common and by a small pool near the coast at Noirmont. Lowland.

Joseph and Mary

(Narrow-leaved Lungwort)

Pulmonaria longifolia

April-May

A perennial herb of lightly shaded habitats, mostly on base-rich clay soils, in coppiced woodland, wood-pasture and Pteridium aquilinum heathland; it also grows in hedge banks and marl-pits. Though it seeds freely and reproduces vegetatively, even vigorous colonies seldom spread into apparently suitable contiguous ground. Lowland.

Flower from Dorset

Flower from Dorset

Foliage from Lymington in Hampshire on 28 May

Form from Lymington in Hampshire on 28 May

Madwort

Asperugo procumbens

August-September

A small to medium-sized herb found in arable fields, and on rough and waste ground (especially near ports). It is introduced in grain or with wool shoddy. Most occurrences are casual but it persisted on waste ground at Auchmithie (Angus) for almost forty years. Lowland.

Northern Water Forgetmenot

(Pale Forget-me-not)

Myosotis brevifolia

(Syn. Myosotis stolonifera)

June onwards

A perennial herb growing by rills and along base-rich spring-lines and flushes. Mainly upland, reaching 820 m on Cross Fell (Cumberland), and down to 130 m in the Lune valley (Cumberland).

Oyster Plant

Mertensia maritima

June-August

A perennial herb, usually found on gravelly beaches and shingle but sometimes on sand. It can also colonise earth and rocks tipped at the coast (Randall, 1988). Seeds can survive prolonged immersion in sea water, and dispersion in sea currents enables colonisation of new, but sometimes transient, sites. Lowland.

Flower from Stoer in Sutherland on 2 August

Flowers from Stoer in Sutherland on 2 August

Foliage from Stoer in Sutherland on 22 June

Form from Stoer in Sutherland on 22 June

Prickly Comfrey

(Rough Comfrey)

Symphytum asperum

June onwards

A tall perennial herb, naturalised in rough and waste ground. Generally lowland, but reaching 315 m at Sheldon (Derbys.).

Flower

Flowers

Foliage

Form

Purple Gromwell

Buglossoides purpurocaerulea

(Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum)

May-June

A perennial herb with creeping woody stems occurring in chalk and limestone districts in two distinct habitats. Inland, it grows in woodland edges and rides, and on lanesides and banks in partial shade. On the coast, it is found amongst naturally dwarfed, open scrub on slumped cliffs, slopes and crags. It spreads by seed and from the stems rooting at nodes. It also occurs as a garden escape on roadsides and waste ground. Lowland.

Flower

Flowers

Foliage

Form

Purple Viper's Bugloss

Echium plantagineum

June-September

An annual or biennial herb growing as a weed in arable fields, on cliffs and in open sandy habitats by the coast. It has a long-lived seed bank, and populations vary greatly in size from year to year. It also occurs casually as a rare garden escape or outcast. Lowland.

Flower

Flowers

Foliage

Form

Russian Comfrey

Symphytum x uplandicum

(Symphytum asperum x officinale)

May onwards

The habitats of this perennial herb include rough and waste ground, railway banks, roadsides, hedge banks and woodland margins. Generally lowland, but reaching 365 m at Alston (Cumberland).

Flower

Flowers

Foliage

Form

Small Bugloss

Lycopsis arvensis

(Anchusa arvensis)

April onwards

This annual weed is mostly found on well-drained soils in arable fields, but it also occurs near the sea on sandy heaths, in disturbed dunes and on waste ground. Lowland, but with a casual record at 420 m near Ballater (S. Aberdeen).

Flower from St Justinians

Flowers from St Justinians

Foliage

Form in June

Soft Comfrey

(White Comfrey)

Symphytum orientale

April-May

This perennial herb is found as an escape or outcast in hedgerows and copses, on lanesides, by roads and railways, and on waste ground. It is often naturalised, and sometimes regenerates from seed. Lowland.

Flower

Flowers

Foliage

Form

Tufted Forget-me-not

Myosotis caespitosa

(Myosotis lingulata, Myosotis uliginosa, Myosotis laxa)

June onwards

An annual or biennial herb of wet ground, often growing in open places trampled by livestock or where there has been other disturbance. It occurs in marshes, fen-meadows, rush-pastures, and by lakes, ponds, canals, rivers and streams. Lowland to 530 m in Atholl (E. Perth) and 550 m in Co. Londonderry.

Tuberous Comfrey

Symphytum tuberosum

June-July

The native habitats of this perennial herb are damp woodland, ditches, stream and river banks, where it occurs in both shaded and open situations. As an alien, it occurs on roadside verges, waste ground and other disturbed sites. Generally lowland, but reaching 335 m in Mid Perth.

Flower from near Denton in Kent on 24 May

Flowers from near Denton in Kent on 24 May

Foliage from near Denton in Kent on 24 May

Form from near Denton in Kent on 24 May

Viper's Bugloss

Echium vulgare

June-September

A biennial of grassy and disturbed habitats on well-drained soils. It is found in bare places on chalk and limestone downs, on heaths, in quarries and chalk-pits, in cultivated and waste land, along railways and roadsides, and by the coast on cliffs, sand dunes and shingle. Generally lowland, but formerly reaching 365 m as an alien at Braemar (S. Aberdeen).

Flower

Flowers from Shorne

Foliage from Shorne

Form

Water Forget-me-not

Myosotis scorpioides

June onwards

A stoloniferous or rhizomatous perennial herb found in damp or wet habitats, usually in fertile, calcareous to mildly acidic soils. It is usually terrestrial, occurring by lakes, ponds, rivers and streams, in marshes and in fens, but may sometimes be aquatic, forming submerged patches or floating rafts. 0-600 m (Moor House, Westmorland).

Flower

Flowers

Foliage from Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire

Form from Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire

Wood Forget-me-not

Myosotis sylvatica

April-June

An erect biennial or perennial herb growing as a native, at least in England, on damp, fertile soils in woodland and rocky grassland. It is much more widespread in a wider range of habitats as a garden escape. 0-485 m (East Stone Gill, N.W. Yorks.).

Flower

Flowers in May

Foliage

Form

County Park Nursery "is a small specialist nursery in Essex (England) with a large range of several thousand species and varieties of plants.

County Park Nursery was started by Graham and Margaret Hutchins in 1955. Although originally a general nursery we now specalise in New Zealand, Australian and Tasmanian plants, retaining some of the more unusual plants from other areas of the world.

About half of the nursery contains specimen, show and stock plants. Many of our plants are grown from seed which was collected in the wild during four plant expeditions in New Zealand and Australia in 1977, 1981, 1985 and 1990.

We continue to raise new cultivars in several of the New Zealand, Tasmanian and Australian genera. Over 300 new plants have been raised and named at County Park Nursery to date. Several have received prestigious awards such as the R.H.S Award of Garden Merit. We have supplied plants to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, the RHS Gardens at Wisley, Prague Botanical Gardens, and The Saville Gardens in Windsor Great Park (belonging to HM the Queen), as well as to various public parks, exhibitors at horticultural shows, municipal gardens and other prestigious clients."

Forget-me-not

"The name was borrowed from Old French "ne m'oubliez pas" and first used in English in c.1532.

Legend has it that in medieval times, a knight and his lady were walking along the side of a river. He picked a posy of flowers, but because of the weight of his armour he fell into the river. As he was drowning he threw the posy to his loved one and shouted "Forget-me-not". This is a flower connected with romance and tragic fate. It was often worn by ladies as a sign of faithfulness and enduring love."