The Boraginaceae

16 Sunday Apr 2023

Posted by sconzani in spring, wildflowers

Tags

#WildflowerHour, Borage family, Boraginaceae, British wildflowers, Comfrey, Forget-me-not, Lungwort, Spring colour, spring wildflowers

Finding flowering specimens of the Borage family was the target of this week’s Wildflower Hour. This family, the Boraginaceae, includes the various Forget-me-nots (Myosotis species), the Comfries (Symphytum species), Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis), Viper’s-bugloss (Echium vulgare), the Gromwells (Lithospermum species), Green alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens), Borage (Borago officinalis), of course, and a few other species as well. Unfortunately, our wet Spring, the recent cold spell and storm mean many of these wildflower species are not yet flowering locally but I have managed to find three species.

Comfrey : I’m not sure which of the Symphytum species this is. It’s growing on the edge of a carpark so is probably a wind-blown garden escape or was perhaps seeded via a bird dropping.

Lungwort : Sadly, this isn’t a common plant locally – I only know of two locations where it grows. I wish there was more as the bees love it.

Forget-me-not : Did you know that the yellow ring at the centre of the Forget-me-not flower fades from egg-yolk yellow to white after pollination, which indicates to insects that there’s no more nectar and they should try another flower?

Wildflower challenge: The Borage family

01 Sunday Apr 2018

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, spring, wildflowers

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

#WildflowerHour, Borage family, British flora, Forget-me-nots, spring flowers, wildflower challenge, wildflowers

Forget-me-not

This week’s challenge for #WildflowerHour was to try to find flowering members of the Borage family – and, in case you don’t know which plants they are (as I didn’t), they include such beauties as the Comfreys, the Gromwells, the Buglosses, Green alkanet, the Lungworts and the Forget-me-nots, as well as Borage itself, of course. Having found Lungwort last week, I didn’t feel I could count that for this week’s challenge, and I knew from a recent visit to Bute Park that the Green alkanet and Comfrey I usually find there were scarcely out of the ground yet – certainly, not flowering.

Forget-me-not

So, I set off on a six-and-a-half-mile walk around Cardiff Bay yesterday, hoping I might find something along the way. Nothing! There were wildflowers, of course, just none of the Borages. I was almost home again, when I thought I’d check a little lane alongside one of my local train stations, and bingo! Forget-me-nots, growing amongst the nettles and clinging to the stone wall. I don’t know which variety they are and they may originally have been garden escapees, but I was just happy to find them.