''Myosotidium'' is a genus of plants belonging to the family

Boraginaceae Boraginaceae, the borage or forget-me-not family, includes about 2,000 species of shrubs, trees and herbs in 146, to 156 genera with a worldwide distribution. The APG IV system from 2016 classifies the Boraginaceae as single family of the order ...

. This genus is represented by the single species ''Myosotidium hortensia'', the Chatham Islands lily, giant forget-me-not or Chatham Islands forget-me-not, which is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ) (Moriori: ''Rēkohu'', 'Misty Sun'; mi, Wharekauri) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island. They are administered as part of New Zealand. The archipelago consists of about te ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. In the Maori language, it is known by the name kopukapuka. The biogeography is yet unresolved, but its ancestors may have originated from the American continent, as ''Myosotidium hortensia'' was found to be sister to the South American plant genus ''

Selkirkia ''Selkirkia'' is a genus of predatory, tubicolous priapulid worms known from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale, Ogygopsis Shale and Puncoviscana Formation. 142 specimens of ''Selkirkia'' are known from the Greater Phyllopod bed, where they compr ...

'' and both genera being sister to the North American genus ''

Mimophytum ''Mimophytum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae. The species occur in Northeastern Mexico and adjacent areas of Texas, United States. They are similar to the closely related genus ''Omphalodes'' but a distinct group. Mo ...

''. ''Myosotidium hortensia'' is a fleshy

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

with large orbicular somewhat fleshy leaves and appearingly parallel leaf venation. The inflorescence bears numerous blue flowers in the late spring. The relatively large blackish seeds are winged. It is much planted as a garden ornamental flower in New Zealand and elsewhere. In addition to the blue-flowered species, 'Alba', a white flowered cultivar is also popular in cultivation. In its natural habitat, ''M. hortensia'' occurs near beaches under the direct influence of sea-water spray and sea-winds.

References

Boraginoideae Flora of the Chatham Islands Monotypic asterid genera Garden plants Boraginaceae genera Taxa named by Henri Ernest Baillon Taxa named by Joseph Decaisne {{NewZealand-plant-stub