FORGET-ME-NOT. 99 



in other species, but in this it is conspicuous, and com- 

 bined with a peculiar tone of light starchy blue ; it is 



" The blue and bright-eyed floweret of the brook, 

 Hope's gentle gem ! the sweet forget-me-not." 



The British species of myosotis are eight in number, 

 and all are called " scorpion grasses" because of the twist of 

 the flower-stem, which is supposed to resemble a scorpion's 

 tail. Amongst our native species, the best for the garden 

 is M. alpestris, referred to above, a real mountaineer, found 

 in plenty on some high limestone ranges in the north ; it 

 produces flowers that come near to those of M. palustris. 

 This alpine plant is well adapted for the rockery, but must 

 have a deep bed of gritty soil, which may be improved for 

 the purpose by an admixture of some proportion of cal- 

 careous matter. Its large head of bright blue flowers is 

 occasionally sweet-scented. 



Very near the last is the woodland species, M. sylvatica, 

 which is rare as a wild plant, but one of the best known 

 in gardens, for it is a favourite as a bedding plant, and 

 extensively grown in such noted gardens as those of Clive- 

 den and Belvoir Castle. It is not so partial to moisture as 

 palustris, but requires a deep soil, and will thrive either in 

 sun or shade. There are white, rose, and striped varieties. 



Perhaps the most useful of all in the gardens is the 

 early flowering M. dissitiflora, which produces large sky- 

 blue flowers, which sometimes pass into rosy red or pure 

 white. This requires a moist soil, and is of great service 

 for spring bedding. 



The most distinct, but not the most useful, because it is 

 somewhat tender, is the Azorian forget-me-not (M. Azorica), 

 which produces flowers of the deepest blue, with an almost 



