ExplorePlants

Forget-me-nots

Name: Forget-me-nots video
Description: Forget-me-nots are tiny blue flowers that bloom in spring. They have a sweet name because they remind us to remember special people in our lives.

Myosotis

Forget-me-nots are tiny blue flowers that bloom in spring. They have a sweet name because they remind us to remember special people in our lives.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Forget-me-nots has tiny, five-petaled flowers, most commonly a vibrant blue with a distinct yellow or white eye at the center. Its stems are slender, and the leaves are often a soft, fuzzy green. The blossoms grow in delicate clusters.

KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassMagnoliopsidaOrderBoraginalesFamilyBoraginaceaeGenusMyosotis

Forget-me-nots

Interesting facts

Each tiny forget-me-not flower can produce hundreds of new seeds!

Many species of these charming flowers are actually native to Alaska!

Some tough forget-me-not species can even bloom while still under snow!

Their name comes from a German legend of a knight who died picking them!

Special abilities

Forget-me-nots can change flower color from pink to blue, signaling to pollinators when nectar is ready.

Forget-me-nots' tiny seeds can cling to fur or clothes, hitchhiking to new places to grow.

Forget-me-nots quickly spread by self-seeding, creating carpets of blue flowers for many new plants.

Measurements & details

Height: 15-30 cm
Spread: 10-25 cm
Flower Size: 0.5-1 cm
Bloom Season: Spring and early summer
Edible: No
Toxicity: None
Lifecycle: Biennial
Pollination Method: Insect

Watch

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Ecological connections

pollinates

European honey bee

Apis mellifera

Honey bees visit its small flowers for nectar.

pollinates

Buff-tailed bumblebee

Bombus terrestris

Bumblebees help spread its pollen between blossoms.

eaten by

White-tailed deer

Odocoileus virginianus

Deer occasionally graze on its tender leaves.

eaten by

Garden snail

Helix aspersa

Garden snails sometimes munch on its leaves.

Traits

Flowering

Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.

Ornamental

Ornamental plants are cultivated primarily for their aesthetic appeal, enhancing landscapes and gardens with their attractive foliage, flowers, or form.

Spring Blooming

Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth.

Fragrant Flower

Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.

Pollinator Magnet

Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.