Myosotis
Myosotis | |
---|---|
Myosotis arvensis | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Boraginales |
Family: | Boraginaceae |
Subfamily: | Boraginoideae |
Genus: | Myosotis L. |
Type species | |
Myosotis scorpioides L. [1]
|
Myosotis (/ˌmaɪəˈsoʊtɪs/ MY-ə-SOH-tiss[2]) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae. The name comes from the Ancient Greek μυοσωτίς "mouse's ear", which the foliage is thought to resemble.[3] In the Northern Hemisphere,[citation needed] they are colloquially known as forget-me-nots or scorpion grasses. Myosotis alpestris is the official flower of Alaska[4] and Dalsland, Sweden. Plants of the genus are not to be confused with Chatham Islands' forget-me-nots, which belong to the related genus Myosotidium.
Description
The genus was originally described by
The seeds are contained in small, tulip-shaped pods along the stem to the flower. The pods attach to clothing when brushed against and eventually fall off, leaving the small seed within the pod to germinate elsewhere. Seeds can be collected by placing a sheet of paper under stems and shaking the seed pods onto the paper.
Myosotis scorpioides is colloquially called scorpion grass because of the spiraling curvature of its inflorescence.[3]
Distribution
The genus is largely restricted to western Eurasia, with about 60 confirmed species,[citation needed] and New Zealand with around 40 endemic species.[5] A few species occur elsewhere, including North America, South America, and Papua New Guinea.[6] Despite this, Myosotis species are now common throughout temperate latitudes because of the introduction of cultivars and alien species. Many are popular in horticulture. They prefer moist habitats. In locales where they are not native, they frequently escape to wetlands and riverbanks. Only those native to the Northern Hemisphere are colloquially called "forget-me-nots".[citation needed]
One or two European species, especially
Genetic analysis indicates that the genus originated in the Northern Hemisphere, and that species native to New Zealand, Australia, New Guinea, and South America form a lineage of closely related species that are likely derived from a single dispersal event to the Southern Hemisphere.[6][7]
Ecology
Myosotis species are food for the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including the setaceous Hebrew character. Many of the species in New Zealand are threatened.[8]
Taxonomy
Of more than 510 recorded species names, only 152 species are presently accepted, listed below.[9] The remainder are either synonyms or hybrids of presently accepted or proposed names.[9][10]
- Reut.
- Myosotis afropalustris C.H. Wright
- Myosotis albicans Riedl
- Hook.f.
- Hook.f.
- Myosotis alpestris F.W.Schmidt (alpine forget-me-not)
- Cheeseman
- Myosotis ambigens (Bég.) Grau
- Myosotis angustata Cheeseman
- Myosotis anomala Riedl
- Myosotis antarctica Hook.f.
- L.B.Moore
- Myosotis arvensis (L.) Hill (field forget-me-not)
- Myosotis asiatica (Vestergr. ex Hultén) Schischk. & Serg. (Asiatic forget-me-not)
- Myosotis atlantica Vestergr.
- Myosotis australis R.Br.
- Myosotis austrosibirica O.D.Nikif.
- Myosotis azorica H.C.Watson (Azores forget-me-not)
- Myosotis baicalensis O.D.Nikif.
- Myosotis balbisiana Jord.
- Myosotis × bollandica P.Jeps.
- Myosotis bothriospermoides Kitag.
- Myosotis brachypoda Gren.
- de Lange& Barkla
- L.B.Moore& M.J.A.Simpson
- Myosotis bryonoma Meudt, Prebble & Thorsen
- Myosotis butorinae Stepanov
- Myosotis cadmea Kitag
- Myosotis cameroonensis Cheek & R.Becker
- Hook.f.
- Lehnebach
- Myosotis chakassica O.D.Nikif.
- Myosotis cheesemanii Petrie
- Myosotis × cinerascens Petrie
- J.F.Macbr.
- Myosotis concinna Cheeseman
- Shuttlew.
- Myosotis corsicana (Fiori) Grau
- Myosotis czekanowskii (Trautv.) Kamelin & V.N.Tikhom.
- Myosotis daralaghezica T.N.Popova
- Myosotis debilis Pomel
- Myosotis decumbens Host
- Myosotis diminuta Grau
- Myosotis discolor Pers. (changing forget-me-not)
- Myosotis densiflora C. Koch
- Myosotis dissitiflora Baker
- Myosotis ergakensis Stepanov
- Myosotis exarrhena F. Muell.
- Myosotis eximia Petrie
- Myosotis explanata Cheeseman
- Myosotis forsteri Lehm.
- Myosotis gallica Vestergr.
- Myosotis galpinii C.H.Wright
- L.B.Moore
- de Lange& Barkla
- Myosotis goyenii Petrie
- Myosotis graminifolia DC.
- Myosotis graui Selvi
- Myosotis guneri A.P.Khokhr.
- Myosotis heteropoda Trautv.
- Myosotis hikuwai Meudt, Prebble & G.M.Rogers
- Myosotis imitata Serg.
- Myosotis incrassata Guss.
- Myosotis jenissejensis O.D.Nikif.
- Myosotis jordanovii N.Andreev & Peev
- Myosotis kamelinii O.D.Nikif.
- Myosotis kazakhstanica O.D.Nikif.
- Myosotis kebeshensis Stepanov
- Myosotis keniensis T.C.E.Fr.
- Myosotis koelzii Riedl
- Myosotis kolakovskyi A.P.Khokhr.
- Myosotis krasnoborovii O.D.Nikif. & Lomon.
- Myosotis krylovii Serg.
- Myosotis kurdica Riedl
- Myosotis laeta Cheeseman
- Myosotis laingii Cheeseman
- Poir.(broadleaf forget-me-not)
- Myosotis laxa Lehm. (tufted forget-me-not or bay forget-me-not)
- Popov
- Myosotis lithospermifolia Hornem.
- Myosotis lithuanica (Schmalh.) Besser ex Dobrocz.
- Myosotis litoralis Steven ex M.Bieb.
- Myosotis ludomilae Zaver.
- Myosotis lyallii Hook.f.
- Myosotis macrantha (Hook.f.) Benth. & Hook.f.
- Myosotis macrosiphon Font Quer & Maire
- Myosotis macrosperma Engelm. (largeseed forget-me-not)
- Myosotis magniflora A.P.Khokhr.
- Myosotis margaritae Štěpánková
- Myosotis maritima Hochst. ex Seub.
- Myosotis martini Sennen
- L.B.Moore
- Myosotis michaelae Štěpánková
- Myosotis micrantha Pall. ex Lehm.
- Reut.
- Myosotis monroi Cheeseman (Monro's forget-me-not)
- Myosotis nemorosa Besser
- Myosotis nikiforovae Stepanov
- Myosotis ochotensis O.D.Nikif.
- Myosotis olympica Boiss.
- Myosotis oreophila Petrie
- L.B.Moore) Meudt, Prebble, R.J.Stanley & Thorsen
- Myosotis paucipilosa (Grau) Ristow & Hand
- Myosotis persoonii Georges RouyRouy & E.G.Camus
- Myosotis petiolata Hook.f.
- Myosotis platyphylla Boiss.
- Myosotis popovii Dobrocz.
- L.B.Moore) Meudt, Prebble, R.J.Stanley & Thorsen
- Myosotis propinqua (Turcz.) Fisch. & C.A.Mey.
- Hook.f.
- Myosotis pusilla Loisel.
- Myosotis radix-palaris A.P.Khokhr.
- Myosotis ramosissima Rochel (early forget-me-not)
- L.B.Moore
- Myosotis refracta Boiss.
- Myosotis rehsteineri (Hausm.) Wartm. ex Reut.
- Myosotis retrorsa Meudt, Prebble & Hindmarsh-Walls
- Myosotis rivularis (Vestergr.) A.P. Khokhr
- Myosotis robusta D.Don
- Myosotis sajanensis O.D.Nikif.
- Myosotis saxatilis Petrie
- Myosotis saxosa Hook.f.
- Myosotis schistosa A.P.Khokhr.
- Myosotis schmakovii O.D.Nikif.
- Myosotis scorpioides (L.)]] (true forget-me-not)
- Myosotis secunda Al.Murray (creeping forget-me-not)
- Myosotis semiamplexicaulis DC.
- Myosotis sicula Guss. (Jersey forget-me-not)
- Greuter& Zaffran
- Myosotis soleirolii Godr.
- Myosotis sparsiflora J.C.Mikan ex Pohl
- Myosotis spatulata G.Forst.
- Myosotis speciosa Pomel
- Myosotis speluncicola Schott ex Boiss.
- Myosotis stenophylla Knaf
- J.Gayex DC.) J.Gay ex Leresche & Levier
- Schult.
- Myosotis suavis Petrie]
- Myosotis subcordata Riedl
- Ehrh. ex Hoffm.(wood forget-me-not)
- Myosotis tenericaulis Petrie
- Myosotis taverae Valdés
- Myosotis tineoi C.Brullo & Brullo
- Myosotis traillii Kirk
- Myosotis traversii Hook.f.
- Myosotis tuxeniana (O.Bolòs & Vigo) O.Bolòs & Vigo
- Czern.
- Myosotis ultramafica Meudt, Prebble & Rance
- Myosotis umbrosa Meudt, Prebble & Thorsen
- Hook.f.
- Shuttlew.
- Myosotis venosa Colenso
- Myosotis venticola Meudt & Prebble
- Nutt.(spring forget-me-not)
- Myosotis vestergrenii Stroh
- Myosotis welwitschii Boiss. & Reut.
- Myosotis wumengensis L.Wei
Gallery
-
Myosotis sylvatica
Symbolism
The small, blue forget-me-not flower was first used by the
After World War II, the forget-me-not flower was used again as a Masonic emblem in 1948 at the first Annual Convention of the United Grand Lodges of Germany. The badge is now worn in the coat lapel by Freemasons around the world to remember all who suffered in the name of Freemasonry, especially those during the Nazi era.[13]
The flower is also used as a symbol of remembrance by the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is used to commemorate those from the province who were killed in the First World War, and worn around July 1.[citation needed]
It is also used in Germany to commemorate the fallen soldiers of the world wars in a similar manner to the use of
The flower is also the symbol for the
In
In the Netherlands, the forget-me-not has become a symbol for Alzheimer Nederland, a foundation advocating for people suffering from dementia.
In New Zealand, the forget-me-not is the symbol for Alzheimers New Zealand, the foundation advocating for people suffering from Alzheimer's disease and dementia.[16]
In the United Kingdom, many health settings make of the forget-me-not as a symbol to highlight that someone has dementia, it may be placed on notes, bedsides or patient boards.[17]
In the history of art, the forget-me-not is used to remember loved ones who have died, and so is very common in funerary portraits.
References
- . 23: 17–28.
- ^ "Myosotis". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ a b c Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 663.
- ^ "Alaska Kid's Corner". State of Alaska. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ "Flora of New Zealand | Taxon Profile | Myosotis". www.nzflora.info.
- ^ PMID 12144755.
- S2CID 14686750.
- PMID 23233811.
- ^ a b "Myosotis L.". Plants of the world online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
- ^ "Home". www.worldfloraonline.org. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ^ "Das Vergissmeinnicht-Abzeichen und die Freimaurerei". www.internetloge.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ^ Bernheim, Alain. ""The Blue Forget-Me-Not": Another Side of the Story". Pietre-Stones Review of Freemasonry. Archived from the original on 30 January 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ^ "The Story Behind Forget Me Not Emblem!". Masonic Network Blog. 11 December 2009. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ^ "Հայոց ցեղասպանության 100-րդ տարելիցի խորհրդանիշը անմոռուկ ծաղիկն է, կարգախոսը՝ "Հիշում եմ և պահանջում"". www.armenpress.am (in Armenian). Armenpress. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
- ^ "Flower of discord: Lithuanian politicians clash over forget-me-not symbol". lrt.lt. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ^ "Home". Alzheimers New Zealand. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ^ "Forget me not – dementia help in Hospitals". BBC News. Retrieved 19 December 2023.