''Myosotis arvensis'' or field forget-me-not is a
herbaceous
Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials.
Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous"
The fourth edition of ...
annual
Annual may refer to:
*Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year
**Yearbook
**Literary annual
*Annual plant
*Annual report
*Annual giving
*Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco
*Annuals (band), a ...
to short lived
perennial
In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
in the family
Boraginaceae
Boraginaceae, the Borago, borage or forget-me-not family, includes about 2,000 species of shrubs, trees, and herbs in 146 to 154 genus, genera with a worldwide distribution.
The APG IV system from 2016 classifies the Boraginaceae as single famil ...
. It is native to Europe, Turkey, the Caucasus, Siberia, the western Himalayas, and northwestern Africa.
[
]Clive Stace
Clive Anthony Stace (born 1938) is a British botanist and botanical author. He studied at King's College London, graduated from University of London in 1959 and then studied at the Natural History Museum, London. He was awarded a PhD in 1963. H ...
describes this plant as having the following characteristics:
* Upright, to ; softly hairy, with hairs at more-or-less right-angles to the stem.
* Flowers grey-blue, across, saucer shaped in profile; sepal
A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106
Etymology
The term ''sepalum'' ...
tube with hooked hairs; April–October.
* Mature fruit dark brown, shiny.
* Mature calyx
CALYX, Inc. is a non-profit publisher of art and literature by women founded in 1976 based in Corvallis, Oregon. CALYX publishes both '' CALYX, A Journal of Art and Literature by Women'' twice a year and CALYX Books, which publishes one to three ...
on spreading stalks longer than sepal
A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106
Etymology
The term ''sepalum'' ...
tube; calyx
CALYX, Inc. is a non-profit publisher of art and literature by women founded in 1976 based in Corvallis, Oregon. CALYX publishes both '' CALYX, A Journal of Art and Literature by Women'' twice a year and CALYX Books, which publishes one to three ...
teeth conceal the ripe fruit.
* Basal leaves stalked, in a rosette; upper leaves not stalked.
* Generally found on open, well drained ground; common throughout the British Isles.
Two subspecies and one variety are accepted.[
*''Myosotis arvensis'' subsp. ''arvensis'' – Europe to Siberia, Turkey, the Caucasus, Western Himalayas, and northwestern Africa
*''Myosotis arvensis'' var. ''garciasii'' – ]Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...
*''Myosotis arvensis'' subsp. ''umbrata'' – western and southern Europe from Norway to Italy, Portugal, the British Isles, and Iceland, and Romania
Gallery
File:Myosotis arvensis, general view.jpg, General view
File:Myosotis arvensis, flower head 3.jpg, Flower head
File:Myosotis arvensis, flower.jpg, Close up of flower; the background squares are 5mm across
File:Myosotis arvensis, flower from side 1.jpg, Close up showing sepal tube; the background squares are across
File:Myosotis arvensis, mature fruit 1.jpg, Mature fruit - side 1; the background squares are across
File:Myosotis arvensis, mature fruit 2.jpg, Mature fruit - side 2; the background squares are across
File:Myosotis arvensis, mature calyx with fruit inside 1.jpg, Mature calyx showing fruit is hidden inside; the background squares are across
File:Myosotis arvensis, mature calyx with fruit inside 2.jpg, Mature calyx showing calyx stalk longer than sepal tube; the background squares are across
File:Myosotis arvensis, leaf.jpg, Close up showing non-basal leaf
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q163582
arvensis
Flora of Algeria
Flora of the Caucasus
Flora of Europe
Flora of Morocco
Flora of Pakistan
Flora of Tunisia
Flora of Turkey
Flora of West Himalaya
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus