The Boraginaceae

16 Sunday Apr 2023

Posted by sconzani in spring, wildflowers

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#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?

Shades of pink and blue

04 Sunday Apr 2021

Posted by sconzani in nature

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Bluebells, British wildflowers, Cornsalad, Cuckooflower, Doves-foot cranes-bill, Ground ivy, Lords-and-ladies, Lungwort, Red dead-nettle, Spring colour

All of a sudden, the countryside has been splashed and daubed and sprinkled with these pretty shades of pink and blue.

210404 bluebells

Bluebell (Hyacinthoides sp.), not the native species but still pretty

210404 corn salad

Common Cornsalad (Valerianella locusta), also known as Lamb’s lettuce

210404 cuckooflower

Cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis), which you might know as Milkmaids or Lady’s smock

210404 ground ivy

Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea), this little beauty has some wonderful vernacular names, including Gill-over-the-ground and Run-away Robin

210404 lords and ladies

Lords-and-ladies (Arum maculatum), another wildflower named for a bird: Cuckoopint

210404 lungwort

Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis), also known as Our Lady’s milk and Mary’s tears

210404 red dead-nettle

Red dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum), which seems to be under every hedge, along every woodland edge right now

210404 Round-leaved crane's-bill

Dove’s-foot crane’s-bill (Geranium molle), found growing around the base of a local power pole yesterday

75/366 A plant of many names

15 Sunday Mar 2020

Posted by sconzani in nature, plants, wildflowers

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British wildflowers, Common lungwort, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Lungwort

With its spotted leaves and flowers that start out pink but change quickly to blue, Common lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis) is a very attractive plant. I’ve blogged before about the origin of its name and some of its other common names but the Royal Horticultural Society website has an even longer long list of vernacular names for this plant: Jerusalem sage, Adam and Eve, Bedlam cowslip, beggar’s basket, bugloss cowslip, Jerusalem cowslip, lady’s cowslip, lady’s milk, Mary’s honeysuckle, Mary’s tears, sage of Bethlehem, soldiers and sailors, spotted dog, and Virgin Mary’s honeysuckle.

200320 lungwort (1)

I’m sure many of the Lungwort plants I see are relatively recent garden escapes but the plants shown in today’s photos may perhaps be a little older. They were growing along the boundary fence of the medieval village at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, a village which is a reconstruction of the actual buildings that existed on this site around 600 years ago. Was it one of the herbal plants used by the locals in those days? I like to think so.

Lovely Lungwort

30 Friday Mar 2018

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, plants, spring, wildflowers

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British flora, British wildflowers, Jacob's coat, Lungwort, Mary spilt the milk, Pulmonaria officinalis, Soldiers and sailors, spring flowers

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I kid you not – Lungwort really is this wildflower’s common name (scientific name: Pulmonaria officinalis). And why? Well, it goes back to the times when people believed that the physical qualities of a plant – its shape, colour, features – reflected its uses (a theory also known as the doctrine of signatures). In this case, the freckled oval-shaped leaves were thought to resemble diseased lungs (and I thought I had a good imagination!) and so the plant was (and still is) used as a treatment for various respiratory ailments.

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Those blotchy leaves are also the reason for one of the plant’s many common names, ‘Mary-spilt-the-milk’. And the variety of pinks and blues in its flowers are behind its other vernacular names, ‘Jacob’s coat’ and ‘Soldiers and Sailors’ – all much more understandable.