''Anchusa arvensis'' is a plant species of the genus ''

Anchusa The genus ''Anchusa'' belongs to the borage family (Boraginaceae). It includes about 35 species found growing in Europe, North Africa, South Africa and Western Asia. They are introduced in the United States. They consist of annual plants, bie ...

''. Its common names include small bugloss and annual bugloss.

Description

This is a hairy annual herb which may reach half a meter in height. It bears small blue tubular flowers, four

nutlet A nut is a fruit consisting of a hard or tough nutshell protecting a kernel which is usually edible. In general usage and in a culinary sense, a wide variety of dry seeds are called nuts, but in a botanical context "nut" implies that the shell ...

s per flower, and one seed per nutlet. Leaves are very bristly and warty-looking, which differentiates it from similar species like '' Pentaglottis sempervirens'' and ''

Myosotis arvensis ''Myosotis arvensis'' or field forget-me-not is a herbaceous annual plant, annual to short lived perennial plant, perennial flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae. Clive Stace describes this plant as having the following characteristics: * ...

''.

Distribution and Habitat

The plant is native to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, and is found elsewhere. ''Anchusa arvensis'' is found in arable field margins, sandy

heaths A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...

, disturbed ground. In the UK it is a declining species with patchy distribution, however conservation status as of 2005 is least concern. ''Anchusa arvensis'' flowers April to September in the UK.Nature Spot - Bugloss
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References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentNature Spot - BuglossPlantlife - England's Important Arable Plants
arvensis Flora of Europe Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Asterid-stub