542 BORAGINACEAE 



1. Myosotis scorpioides L. Forget-me-not. Fig. 4182. 



Myosotis scorpioides L. Sp. PI. 131. 1753. 

 Myosotis scorpioides var. patustris L. loc. cit. 

 Myosotis palustris Lam. Fl. Fr. 2: 283. 1778. 



Perennial, with slender rootstocks or stolons, herbage appressed-pubescent with straight 

 pointed hairs; stems slender, 1.5-4 dm. long, decumbent or ascending, rooting at the lower nodes. 

 Leaves oblanceolate to oblong-oblanceolate, 2.5-8 cm. long, 4-12 mm. wide, upper stem-leaves 

 sessile, the lower narrowed to a winged petiole ; racemes loosely many-flowered ; fruiting pedi- 

 cels longer than the calyx ; calyx with straight appressed hairs, the lobes equal, ovate-triangular, 

 acute, shorter than the tube, more or less spreading in fruit ; corolla blue with a yellow eye, 

 the limb flat, 6-8 mm. broad ; nutlets angled and keeled on the inside. 



Wet meadows and margins of streams, Transition (especially the Humid) and Canadian Zones; escaped 

 from cultivation and well established in many localities in Washington and western Oregon and northern 

 California; also northeastern United States. Native of Europe and Asia. May-July. 



2. Myosotis laxa Lehm. Smaller Forget-me-not. Fig. 4183. 



Myosotis laxa Lehm. Asperif. 1 : 83. 1818. 



Myosotis palustris var. micrantha Lehm. in Hook. Fl. Bor. Amer. 2: 81. 1838. 



Myosotis palustris var. laxa A. Gray, Man. ed. 5. 365. 1867. 



Perennial, with slender decumbent spreading stems, rooting at the nodes, 1.5-5 dm. long, 



herbage appressed-pubescent with appressed pointed hairs as in the preceding species. Leaves 



oblong or oblong-lanceolate to spatulate, obtuse; racemes loosely flowered; pedicels much 



longer than the calyx, widely spreading; calyx with straight appressed hairs, the lobes equal, 



ovate-lanceolate, acute, as long as the tube ; corolla blue with yellow eye, limb concave, about 



4 mm. broad ; nutlets convex on both the dorsal and ventral side. 



Wet places, in marshes and along streams. Transition and Canadian Zones; British Columbia south mainly 

 west of the Cascade Mountains to Del Norte County, California, extending eastward to Newfoundland and 

 northeastern United States. Type locality: "Habitat in America septentrionalis." May-Aug. 



Myosotis alp6stris Schmidt, Fl. Boem. 3: 26. 1794. Howell (Fl. N.W. Amer. 492. 1901.) reported 

 this species as ranging from "the mountains of Oregon to Kotzebue Sound and the northern Rocky Mountains." 

 Unfortunately there are no specimens in the Howell Herbarium, and as this is the only record for the Pacific 

 States the species inclusion in our flora must await authentication. 



3. Myosotis virginica (L.) B.S.P. Spring or Early Scorpion Grass. 



Fig. 4184. 



LycoPsis virginica L. Sp. PI. 139. 1753. 



Myosotis macrosperma Engelm. Amer. Journ. Sci. 46: 98. 1844. 



Myosotis virginica B.S.P. Prel. Cat. N.Y. 37. 1888. 



Myosotis virginica var. macrosperma Fernald, Rhodora 10: SS. 1908. 



Annual or biennial, hirsute with mostly spreading hairs, erect, 1-3 dm. high, branched, the 

 branches erect. Leaves oblong to linear-oblong, 1-3 cm. long, obtuse, sessile or the lower spatu- 

 late and narrowed to a short petiole ; racemes terminating the branches ; pedicels ascending 

 or erect, shorter than the fruiting calyx, appressed-pubescent with straight hairs ; calyx un- 

 equally 5-cleft and somewhat 2-lipped, the lobes longer than the tube, narrowly lanceolate, 

 connivent in fruit, densely hispid, the hairs of the tube mostly hooked at the apex, those of the 

 lobes stouter and usually straight; corolla white, limb 1-2 mm. wide; nutlets convex on the 

 dorsal side, keeled on the ventral. 



Usually in moist ground, especially in fields. Humid and Arid Transition Zones; western Washington to 

 Idaho, south in the Pacific States through western Oregon to Trinity County, California; also generally dis- 

 tributed throughout eastern North America. Type locality: "in Virginia ad vias." April-June. 



4. Myosotis sylvatica Hoffm. Wood Forget-me-not. Fig. 4185. 



Myosotis sylvatica Hoflm. Deutsch. Fl. ed. 1. 61. 1791. 



Perennial, with creeping rootstocks, stems solitary or often many-branched, erect or com- 

 monly decumbent, 2-4.5 dm. long, thinly to rather densely hirsute with mostly spreading hairs. 

 Leaves thinly to densely pubescent with appressed hairs, upper sessile, oblong to oblong-lanceo- 

 late, lower and basal mostly spatulate, 1-2.5 cm. broad, narrowed at base to a more or less 

 winged petiole of about equal length ; racemes usually several ; fruiting pedicels spreading, 

 often slightly curved, the lower longer, the upper about equaling the calyx ; calyx with hooked 

 hairs except at tip of the lobes, lobes linear-lanceolate, about equaling the tube; corolla light 

 blue, limb 5-6 mm. broad. 



Garden plant, naturalized locally in moist shady places; Humboldt County to San Mateo County, California. 

 Type locality: in Europe. Feb.-July. 



5. Myosotis arvensis (L.) Hill. Field Scorpion Grass or Mouse-ear. 



Fig. 4186. 



Myosotis scorpioides var. arvensis L. Sp. PI. 131. 1753. 



Myosotis arvensis Hill, Veg. Syst. 7: 55. 1764. 



Myosotis intermedia Link in Schultz, Prod. Fl. Starg. Suppl. 1 : 12. 1819. 



Annual or biennial, stems erect or ascending, branched, 1.5-4.5 dm. high, hirsute-pubescent. 

 Basal leaves petioled, oblanceolate, obtuse; stem-leaves sessile, the lower oblanceolate, the upper 

 oblong or oblong-oblanceolate, 1-3 cm. long ; racemes loosely flowered ; fruiting pedicels, except 



