# small bugloss (*Anchusa arvensis*)

Small bugloss is a pretty plant with bright blue flowers that look like little stars! It grows in fields and gardens, bringing color and beauty to nature.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Grasslands

![small bugloss](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Anchusa_arvensis3.jpg&width=800)

Photo: A. Roche, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anchusa_arvensis3.jpg)

## Appearance

The small bugloss has distinctive sky-blue, funnel-shaped flowers, often with a paler center, growing on hairy stems and leaves. Its rough, lance-shaped leaves are covered in stiff hairs, giving it a unique texture that sets it apart from smoother plants.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Boraginales
- **Family:** Boraginaceae
- **Genus:** Lycopsis

## Interesting facts

- Its rough leaves give it the name "bugloss," meaning "ox tongue"!
- Its tiny seeds can stay hidden in the soil, waiting years to sprout!
- Small bugloss is a master of growing in sunny, open, disturbed places!
- The bright blue flowers attract tiny bees and hoverflies for pollination!

## Special abilities

- **Hairy Armor Power:** Small bugloss has bristly hairs all over its leaves and stems that protect it from hungry munchers.
- **Pioneer Spirit Power:** Small bugloss can grow happily in tough, disturbed soils where other plants struggle to survive.
- **Rapid Seed Release:** Small bugloss quickly produces many seeds, ensuring its speedy return year after year.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 10-60 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.3-0.6 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Late_spring_to_late_summer
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** Mild
- **Lifecycle:** Annual
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — collects nectar and pollen from its flowers
- **Pollinates:** buff-tailed bumblebee (*Bombus terrestris*) — visits flowers, transferring pollen as it feeds
- **Pollinates:** drone fly (*Eristalis tenax*) — mimics bees and helps spread pollen
- **Pollinates:** Small Tortoiseshell butterfly (*Aglais urticae*) — drinks nectar from its small blue blossoms
- **Eats:** two-spotted ethmia (*Ethmia bipunctella*) — its caterpillars feed on bugloss leaves

## Traits

- [Furry](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/furry): Furry describes animals possessing a dense covering of soft hair or fur.
- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Biennial](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/biennial): Biennial plants complete their life cycle over two growing seasons, typically forming foliage in the first year and flowering/seeding in the second.
- [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
- [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.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always look but don't pick plants unless an adult says it's okay.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify small bugloss?

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 small bugloss?

10-60 cm

### How big are the flowers on small bugloss?

0.3-0.6 cm

### When does small bugloss bloom?

Late_spring_to_late_summer

### Is small bugloss edible?

No

### Is small bugloss toxic?

Mild

### What is small bugloss's lifecycle?

Annual

### How is small bugloss pollinated?

Insect

## 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*)

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Source: [Small Bugloss: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/small-bugloss)