# Green Alkanet (*Pentaglottis sempervirens*) Green Alkanet is a lovely plant with bright blue flowers. It grows in gardens and along paths, making the world a little more colorful! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 3 - **Habitat:** Urban areas ![Green Alkanet](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Pentaglottis-sempervirens-20110403.jpg&width=800) Photo: Luis Fernández García, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pentaglottis-sempervirens-20110403.jpg) ## Appearance The Green Alkanet has vibrant, true-blue, star-shaped flowers with a pale white or yellowish center. Its large, dark green leaves are distinctively coarse and covered in stiff, bristly hairs, giving it a rough texture. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Boraginales - **Family:** Boraginaceae - **Genus:** Pentaglottis ## Interesting facts - Its bright blue flowers start as pink buds before they fully open! - Some people mistake its bristly leaves for stinging nettles, but it doesn't sting! - The name "Alkanet" comes from an old Arabic word for a plant dye. - This tough plant can grow in cracks in pavements, showing how strong it is! ## Special abilities - **Hairy Shield:** Green Alkanet has bristly hairs all over its leaves that deter hungry animals from taking a bite. - **Spreading Roots:** Green Alkanet can grow deep, tough roots and rhizomes that help it find water and spread across the ground. - **Bright Beacon:** Green Alkanet's intensely blue flowers act like a colorful signal, inviting bees and other insects to visit. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 30-90 cm - **Spread:** 30-60 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.5-1 cm - **Bloom Season:** Spring to early Summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** Mild - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Visits flowers for nectar and pollen - **Pollinates:** Buff-tailed Bumblebee (*Bombus terrestris*) — Feeds on nectar, helping pollination - **Eats:** Spanish slug (*Arion vulgaris*) — Consumes leaves, can cause damage - **Eats:** [Garden Snail](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-snail) (*Helix aspersa*) — Grazes on the plant's leaves and stems ## Traits - [Furry](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/furry): Furry describes animals possessing a dense covering of soft hair or fur. - [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces. - [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always check with an adult before touching or picking plants. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Green Alkanet? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Green Alkanet? 30-90 cm ### How wide does Green Alkanet spread? 30-60 cm ### How big are the flowers on Green Alkanet? 0.5-1 cm ### When does Green Alkanet bloom? Spring to early Summer ### Is Green Alkanet edible? No ### Is Green Alkanet toxic? Mild ### What is Green Alkanet's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Leach Botanical Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/leach-botanical-garden) — Oregon, US · Botanical Garden - [Volunteer Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/volunteer-park) — Washington, US · Park - [Portland Aquarium](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/portland-aquarium) — Oregon, US · Zoo [View all places to see Green Alkanet](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/green-alkanet) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Green Alkanet: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/green-alkanet)