''Omphalodes verna'', the creeping navelwort or blue-eyed-Mary, is a rhizomatous

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

perennial plant 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 ...

in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

''Omphalodes'' belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Boraginaceae.

Etymology

The genus name ''

Omphalodes ''Omphalodes'' (navelwort) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae, widely distributed in the temperate Northern Hemisphere. In spring they produce blue or white flowers similar to forget-me-nots. Both the Greek ''Omphalodes'' ...

'' derives from the Greek word , meaning navel, referring to the shape of the small fruits, while the name ''verna'' of the species, deriving from the Latin , refers to the early blooming flowers.

Description

''Omphalodes verna'' can reach in height. The stem snakes across the ground (hence the alternative name of creeping forget-me-not). The overwintering buds are situated just below the soil surface ( hemicryptophyte). This species can spread quickly, it is hard to uproot and by some accounts may even be invasive, but mostly coexists with other plants well. Its leaves are grooved, semi-evergreen and medium green, about long and wide. They are veiny, with fine hairs and oval to heart in shape, and pointed at the tip. In Spring the plant produces clusters of 3-5 petiolated small, light blue

hermaphrodite In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrate ...

flowers with white or yellow star-shaped centers. The wheel-shaped corolla is fused and five-lobed and has a diameter of . These plants bloom from March through May. The

mericarp A schizocarp is a dry fruit that, when mature, splits up into mericarps. There are different definitions: * Any dry fruit composed of multiple carpels that separate. : Under this definition the mericarps can contain one or more seeds (the m ...

s are hairy and navel-shaped, about long. Creeping navelwort is cultivated in many countries as an ornamental plant. It may be easily propagated from seeds. It may be confused with forget-me-not (''Myosotis'' sp.), as flowers are very similar, but it can be distinguished by its much larger and coarser, slightly prickly leaves, its firm grip with the ground, and its quite different fruits, which are not covered in fine hooked hairs to assist in transport as forget-me-not fruits are.

Distribution

It is widespread in central and south-eastern

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 ...

, excluding the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

. It is also present in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada.

Habitat

This species typically grows in the shade of trees, in fresh mountain forests (especially beech), wastelands and scrublands. The plant prefers sandy or clay loam and moist soils in shady places, at an altitude of above sea level.

Gallery

File:Boraginaceae - Omphalodes verna-5.JPG File:Omphalodes verna in a garden.jpg File:Boraginaceae - Omphalodes verna.JPG File:Boraginaceae - Omphalodes verna-4.JPG File:Boraginaceae - Omphalodes verna-2.JPG

References

External links

* Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia – Edagricole – 1982 – Vol. II, pag. 428 * Tutin, T.G. et al. - Flora Europaea, second edition - 1993
Biolib

Navelwort
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2697240 verna