Forget-me-not
Myosotis scorpioides
Forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides) is an introduced perennial from Europe and western Asia, with sprays of small sky-blue flowers that have five rounded lobes and a yellow eye. In South Dakota it occasionally grows wild in wetlands, cold springs and along slow streams, and it blooms May into September. Photographed in the Black Hills.
| Family | Boraginaceae · Borage |
|---|---|
| Status | Introduced perennial |
| Blooms | May into September |
| Height | 10–60 cm (4–24 in) |
| Where | Wetlands, cold springs, fens and slow stream borders |
| Also called | True Forget-me-not, Water Forget-me-not, Water Scorpion Grass |
Roots, seeds & germination
Root: Fibrous roots and creeping runners that root as they spread.
Seed: Four small, smooth, shiny, dark brown to black nutlets about 1.5 mm long, held in the calyx. They mature July through October.
How do you identify Forget-me-not?
Flowers are 6–10 mm wide, with five rounded lobes and a raised yellow eye, in paired clusters that start coiled and unfurl as they open. To confirm the species, look at the calyx, the green cup under the flower: straight hairs pressed flat and lobes shorter than the tube point to this plant. Wood Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica), not in this guide, looks nearly identical, but its calyx has spreading hairs, some with tiny hooks, and lobes longer than the tube. American Speedwell has four petals.
When does it bloom?
May into September.
Where does it grow?
Mud and shallow water at wetlands, cold springs, fens and slow-moving stream borders. It came to South Dakota as a garden ornamental and is occasionally naturalized in parts of the state. Stems root at the leaf joints and can form dense colonies.
Other flowers to compare
Sources: SDSU Open PRAIRIE: Myosotis scorpioides (R. Neil Reese); Minnesota Wildflowers: Myosotis scorpioides (True Forget-me-not); Minnesota Wildflowers: Myosotis sylvatica (Wood Forget-me-not); Forget-me-nots look alikes (Renz Weed Science, University of Wisconsin); U.S. Forest Service, Plant of the Week: Alpine Forget-Me-Not.