''Myosotis azorica'', common name Azorean mouse-ear or Azorean forget-me-not, is a plant species

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

Azores Islands ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

in the

North Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

Description

''Myosotis azorica'' is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

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 decumbent stems up to 30 cm (12 inches) tall. Leaves are lanceolate, clasping the stem, with numerous soft flexible hairs. Flowers are borne in "scorpioid cymes," i.e. on spirally curving stems resembling a

scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...

's tail or a half-unfurled

fiddlehead Fiddleheads or fiddlehead greens are the furled fronds of a young fern, harvested for use as a vegetable. Left on the plant, each fiddlehead would unroll into a new frond (circinate vernation). As fiddleheads are harvested early in the sea ...

fern leaf. Flowers are deep blue-purple with a yellow center.

Distribution and habitat

''Myosotis azorica'' is endemic to the western Azores, occurring only on the westernmost islands of

Flores Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. Including the Komodo Islands off its west coast (but excluding the Solor Archipelago to the east of Flores), the land area is 15,530.58 km2, and th ...

and Corvo. The last wild populations on Flores went extinct recently. Reports from other islands in the Azores are confusions with the related ''

Myosotis maritima ''Myosotis maritima'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae endemic to the Azores. It is found in rocks, cliffs and coastal landslides, at altitudes generally below (on the island of Flores Flores is one of the Lesser ...

'', a strictly coastal species. It grows near waterfalls and on wet rocks and in wet meadows above 500 meters altitude. Its native range covers less than , with the total number of individuals estimated at less than 50, so the species is vulnerable.

References

azorica Endemic flora of the Azores Plants described in 1842 {{Asterid-stub