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''Myosotis'' ( ) is a genus of flowering plants in 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 ...
. The name comes from the Ancient Greek "mouse's ear", which the foliage is thought to resemble. In the northern hemisphere they are colloquially known as forget-me-nots or scorpion grasses. ''
Myosotis alpestris ''Myosotis alpestris'' or alpine forget-me-not is a herbaceous perennial plant in the flowering plant family Boraginaceae. The alpine forget-me-not is the county flower of Westmorland in the United Kingdom and the state flower of Alaska in the ...
'' is the official flower of
Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
and Dalsland, Sweden. Plants of the genus are commonly confused with
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 t ...
' forget-me-nots, which belong to the related genus ''
Myosotidium ''Myosotidium'' is a genus of plants belonging to the family Boraginaceae. 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 endemi ...
''.


Description

The genus was originally described by Carl Linnaeus. The type species is ''
Myosotis scorpioides ''Myosotis scorpioides'' (syn. ''Myosotis palustris''), the true forget-me-not or water forget-me-not, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the borage family, Boraginaceae. Distribution and habitat It is native to Europe and Asia, bu ...
''. ''Myosotis'' species are
annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year **Yearbook **Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), a ...
or
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 ...
herbaceous flowering plants with penta merous
actinomorphic Floral symmetry describes whether, and how, a flower, in particular its perianth, can be divided into two or more identical or mirror-image parts. Uncommonly, flowers may have no axis of symmetry at all, typically because their parts are spirall ...
flowers with 5 sepals and petals. Flowers are typically 1 cm in diameter or less, flatly faced, coloured blue, pink, white or yellow with yellow centres and borne on scorpioid cymes. The foliage is alternate, and their roots are generally diffuse. They typically flower in spring or soon after the melting of snow in alpine ecosystems. 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 ''Myosotis scorpioides'' (syn. ''Myosotis palustris''), the true forget-me-not or water forget-me-not, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the borage family, Boraginaceae. Distribution and habitat It is native to Europe and Asia, bu ...
'' is colloquially called ''scorpion grass'' because of the spiraling curvature of its inflorescence.


Distribution

The genus is largely restricted to western Eurasia, with approximately 60 confirmed species, and New Zealand with approximately 40 endemic species. A few species occur elsewhere including North America, South America, and Papua New Guinea. 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 denominated "forget-me-nots". One or two European species, especially ''
Myosotis sylvatica ''Myosotis sylvatica'', the wood forget-me-not or woodland forget-me-not, is a species of flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae, native to Europe. This spring-flowering plant and its cultivars, typically with blue flowers, are the familiar f ...
'', the "woodland" forget-me-nots, have been introduced into most of the temperate regions of Europe,
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
, and the
Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with t ...
. 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.


Ecology

''Myosotis'' are food for the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the setaceous Hebrew character. Many of the species in New Zealand are threatened.


Taxonomy

Of more than 510 recorded species names, only 152
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
are presently accepted, listed below. The remainder are either synonyms or hybrids of presently accepted or proposed names. *'' Myosotis abyssinica''
Boiss. Pierre Edmond Boissier (25 May 1810 Geneva – 25 September 1885 Valeyres-sous-Rances) was a Swiss prominent botanist, explorer and mathematician. He was the son of Jacques Boissier (1784-1857) and Caroline Butini (1786-1836), daughter of Pierr ...
& Reut.
*'' Myosotis afropalustris'' C.H. Wright *'' Myosotis albicans''  Riedl *'' Myosotis albiflora''
Banks A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...
& Sol. ex Hook.f.
*'' Myosotis albosericea'' Hook.f. *''
Myosotis alpestris ''Myosotis alpestris'' or alpine forget-me-not is a herbaceous perennial plant in the flowering plant family Boraginaceae. The alpine forget-me-not is the county flower of Westmorland in the United Kingdom and the state flower of Alaska in the ...
'' F.W.Schmidt (alpine forget-me-not) *'' Myosotis amabilis'' Cheeseman *'' Myosotis ambigens'' ( Bég.) Grau *'' Myosotis angustata'' Cheeseman *'' Myosotis anomala''   Riedl *'' Myosotis antarctica'' Hook.f. *'' Myosotis arnoldii'' L.B.Moore *''
Myosotis arvensis ''Myosotis arvensis'' or field forget-me-not is a herbaceous annual to short lived perennial flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae. Clive Stace describes this plant as having the following characteristics: * Upright, to ; softly hairy, wit ...
'' (L.)
Hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not as ...
(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 bothriospermoides'' Kitag. *'' Myosotis brachypoda''   Gren. *'' Myosotis brevis'' de Lange & Barkla *'' Myosotis brockiei'' L.B.Moore & M.J.A.Simpson *'' Myosotis bryonoma'' Meudt, Prebble & Thorsen *'' Myosotis butorinae''  Stepanov *'' Myosotis cadmea'' Kitag *'' Myosotis cameroonensis''  
Cheek The cheeks ( la, buccae) constitute the area of the face below the eyes and between the nose and the left or right ear. "Buccal" means relating to the cheek. In humans, the region is innervated by the buccal nerve. The area between the inside ...
& R.Becker
*'' Myosotis capitata'' Hook.f. *'' Myosotis chaffeyorum'' Lehnebach *'' Myosotis chakassica''  O.D.Nikif. *'' Myosotis cheesemanii''
Petrie Petrie is a surname of Scottish origin which may refer to: People * Alexander Petrie (died 1662), Scottish minister * Alistair Petrie (born 1970), English actor * Andrew Petrie (1798–1872), Scottish-born builder, architect and first free settl ...
*'' Myosotis × cinerascens''
Petrie Petrie is a surname of Scottish origin which may refer to: People * Alexander Petrie (died 1662), Scottish minister * Alistair Petrie (born 1970), English actor * Andrew Petrie (1798–1872), Scottish-born builder, architect and first free settl ...
*'' Myosotis colensoi'' (
Kirk Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it. Basic meaning and etymology As a common noun, ''kirk'' ...
) J.F.Macbr.
*'' Myosotis concinna'' Cheeseman *'' Myosotis congesta''   Shuttlew. *'' Myosotis corsicana''  (Fiori) Grau *'' Myosotis czekanowskii'' (Trautv.) Kamelin & V.N.Tikhom. *'' Myosotis daralaghezica''  T.N.Popova *'' Myosotis debilis''  
Pomel Nicolas Auguste Pomel (20 September 1821 – 2 August 1898) was a French geologist, paleontologist and botanist. He worked as a mines engineer in Algeria and became a specialist in north African vertebrate fossils. He was Senator of Algeria for Ora ...
*'' Myosotis decumbens'' Host *'' Myosotis diminuta''  Grau *'' Myosotis discolor'' Pers. (changing forget-me-not) *'' Myosotis densiflora'' C. Koch *'' Myosotis dissitiflora''  
Baker A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ha ...
*'' Myosotis ergakensis''  Stepanov *'' Myosotis exarrhena''
F.Muell. Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Victo ...
*'' Myosotis eximia''
Petrie Petrie is a surname of Scottish origin which may refer to: People * Alexander Petrie (died 1662), Scottish minister * Alistair Petrie (born 1970), English actor * Andrew Petrie (1798–1872), Scottish-born builder, architect and first free settl ...
*'' Myosotis explanata'' Cheeseman *'' Myosotis forsteri'' Lehm. *'' Myosotis gallica''  Vestergr. *'' Myosotis galpinii''   C.H.Wright *'' Myosotis glabrescens'' L.B.Moore *'' Myosotis glauca'' ( G.Simpson & J.S.Thomson) de Lange & Barkla *'' Myosotis goyenii''
Petrie Petrie is a surname of Scottish origin which may refer to: People * Alexander Petrie (died 1662), Scottish minister * Alistair Petrie (born 1970), English actor * Andrew Petrie (1798–1872), Scottish-born builder, architect and first free settl ...
*'' Myosotis graminifolia''  DC. *'' Myosotis graui''  Selvi *'' Myosotis guneri '' A.P.Khokhr. *'' Myosotis heteropoda''  
Trautv. Ernst Rudolf von Trautvetter (20 February 1809, in Jelgava – 24 January 1889, in St. Petersburg), was a Baltic German botanist, specialising in the flora of the Caucasus and central Asia. He was the son of Ernst Christian Johann von Trautvetter ...
*'' 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 *'' Myosotis latifolia''
Poir. Jean Louis Marie Poiret (11 June 1755 in Saint-Quentin7 April 1834 in Paris) was a French clergyman, botanist, and explorer. From 1785 to 1786, he was sent by Louis XVI to Algeria to study the flora. After the French Revolution, he became a p ...
(broadleaf forget-me-not) *'' Myosotis laxa'' Lehm. (tufted forget-me-not or bay forget-me-not) *'' Myosotis lazica''   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. George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...
& 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 Sennen (''Cornish: Sen Senan'' or ''Sen Senana'') is a coastal civil parish and a village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Sennen village is situated approximately eight miles (13 km) west-southwest of Penzance.Ordnance Survey: Landra ...
*'' Myosotis matthewsii'' L.B.Moore *'' Myosotis michaelae''  Štěpánková *'' Myosotis micrantha''  Pall. ex Lehm. *'' Myosotis minutiflora''
Boiss. Pierre Edmond Boissier (25 May 1810 Geneva – 25 September 1885 Valeyres-sous-Rances) was a Swiss prominent botanist, explorer and mathematician. He was the son of Jacques Boissier (1784-1857) and Caroline Butini (1786-1836), daughter of Pierr ...
& Reut.
*'' Myosotis monroi'' Cheeseman (Monro's forget-me-not) *'' Myosotis nemorosa'' Besser *'' Myosotis nikiforovae''  Stepanov *'' Myosotis ochotensis''  O.D.Nikif. *'' Myosotis olympica''  
Boiss. Pierre Edmond Boissier (25 May 1810 Geneva – 25 September 1885 Valeyres-sous-Rances) was a Swiss prominent botanist, explorer and mathematician. He was the son of Jacques Boissier (1784-1857) and Caroline Butini (1786-1836), daughter of Pierr ...
*'' Myosotis oreophila''
Petrie Petrie is a surname of Scottish origin which may refer to: People * Alexander Petrie (died 1662), Scottish minister * Alistair Petrie (born 1970), English actor * Andrew Petrie (1798–1872), Scottish-born builder, architect and first free settl ...
*'' Myosotis pansa'' ( 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. Pierre Edmond Boissier (25 May 1810 Geneva – 25 September 1885 Valeyres-sous-Rances) was a Swiss prominent botanist, explorer and mathematician. He was the son of Jacques Boissier (1784-1857) and Caroline Butini (1786-1836), daughter of Pierr ...
*'' Myosotis popovii''   Dobrocz. *'' Myosotis pottsiana'' ( L.B.Moore) Meudt, Prebble, R.J.Stanley & Thorsen *'' Myosotis propinqua''  (Turcz.) Fisch. & C.A.Mey. *'' Myosotis pulvinaris'' Hook.f. *'' Myosotis pusilla''   Loisel. *'' Myosotis radix-palaris''  A.P.Khokhr. *'' Myosotis ramosissima'' Rochel (early forget-me-not) *'' Myosotis rakiura'' L.B.Moore *'' Myosotis refracta''  
Boiss. Pierre Edmond Boissier (25 May 1810 Geneva – 25 September 1885 Valeyres-sous-Rances) was a Swiss prominent botanist, explorer and mathematician. He was the son of Jacques Boissier (1784-1857) and Caroline Butini (1786-1836), daughter of Pierr ...
*'' Myosotis rehsteineri''  (Hausm.) Wartm. ex Reut. *'' Myosotis retrorsa'' Meudt, Prebble & Hindmarsh-Walls *'' Myosotis rivularis'' (Vestergr.) A.P. Khokhr *'' Myosotis robusta''  
D.Don David Don (21 December 1799 – 15 December 1841) was a Scottish botanist. Biography David Don was born on 21 December 1799 at Doo Hillock, Forfar, Angus, Scotland to Caroline Clementina Stuart, and her husband George Don of Forfar. His olde ...
*'' Myosotis sajanensis''  O.D.Nikif. *'' Myosotis saxatilis''
Petrie Petrie is a surname of Scottish origin which may refer to: People * Alexander Petrie (died 1662), Scottish minister * Alistair Petrie (born 1970), English actor * Andrew Petrie (1798–1872), Scottish-born builder, architect and first free settl ...
*'' Myosotis saxosa'' Hook.f. *'' Myosotis schistosa''  A.P.Khokhr. *'' Myosotis schmakovii''  O.D.Nikif. *''
Myosotis scorpioides ''Myosotis scorpioides'' (syn. ''Myosotis palustris''), the true forget-me-not or water forget-me-not, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the borage family, Boraginaceae. Distribution and habitat It is native to Europe and Asia, bu ...
'' (L.) (true forget-me-not) *'' Myosotis secunda'' Al.Murray (creeping forget-me-not) *'' Myosotis semiamplexicaulis'' DC. *'' Myosotis sicula'' Guss. (Jersey forget-me-not) *'' Myosotis solange''   Greuter & Zaffran *'' Myosotis soleirolii''   Godr. *'' Myosotis sparsiflora''
J.C.Mikan Johann Christian Mikan (born 5 December 1769 in Teplitz, died 28 December 1844 in Prague) was an Austrian-Czech botanist, zoologist and entomologist. He was the son of Joseph Gottfried Mikan. Career Mikan was a professor of natural history at t ...
''ex'' Pohl
*'' Myosotis spatulata''
G.Forst. Johann George Adam Forster, also known as Georg Forster (, 27 November 1754 – 10 January 1794), was a German naturalist, ethnologist, travel writer, journalist and revolutionary. At an early age, he accompanied his father, Johann Reinhold F ...
*'' Myosotis speciosa''   Auguste PomelPomel *'' Myosotis speluncicola'' Schott ''ex'' Boiss *'' Myosotis stenophylla'' Knaf *'' Myosotis stolonifera( J.Gay ex DC.) J.Gay ex Leresche & Levier *'' Myosotis stricta'' Link ''ex'' Roem. & Schult. *'' Myosotis suavis''
Petrie Petrie is a surname of Scottish origin which may refer to: People * Alexander Petrie (died 1662), Scottish minister * Alistair Petrie (born 1970), English actor * Andrew Petrie (1798–1872), Scottish-born builder, architect and first free settl ...
*'' Myosotis subcordata''  Riedl *''
Myosotis sylvatica ''Myosotis sylvatica'', the wood forget-me-not or woodland forget-me-not, is a species of flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae, native to Europe. This spring-flowering plant and its cultivars, typically with blue flowers, are the familiar f ...
''
Ehrh. Jakob Friedrich Ehrhart (4 November 1742, Holderbank, Aargau – 26 June 1795) was a German botanist, a pupil of Carl Linnaeus at Uppsala University, and later director of the Botanical Garden of Hannover, where he produced several major botanic ...
''ex'' Hoffm.
(wood forget-me-not) *'' Myosotis tenericaulis''
Petrie Petrie is a surname of Scottish origin which may refer to: People * Alexander Petrie (died 1662), Scottish minister * Alistair Petrie (born 1970), English actor * Andrew Petrie (1798–1872), Scottish-born builder, architect and first free settl ...
*'' Myosotis taverae''  Valdés *'' Myosotis tineoi''  C.Brullo & Brullo *'' Myosotis traillii''  
Kirk Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it. Basic meaning and etymology As a common noun, ''kirk'' ...
*'' Myosotis traversii'' Hook.f. *'' Myosotis tuxeniana''  ( O.Bolòs & Vigo) O.Bolòs & Vigo *'' Myosotis ucrainica''   Czern. *'' Myosotis ultramafica'' Meudt, Prebble & Rance *'' Myosotis umbrosa'' Meudt, Prebble & Thorsen *'' Myosotis uniflora'' Hook.f. *'' Myosotis urceolaris''   Shuttlew. *'' Myosotis venosa'' Colenso *'' Myosotis venticola'' Meudt & Prebble *'' Myosotis verna''
Nutt. Thomas Nuttall (5 January 1786 – 10 September 1859) was an English botanist and zoologist who lived and worked in America from 1808 until 1841. Nuttall was born in the village of Long Preston, near Settle in the West Riding of Yorkshire and ...
(spring forget-me-not) *'' Myosotis vestergrenii''  Stroh *'' Myosotis welwitschii''
Boiss. Pierre Edmond Boissier (25 May 1810 Geneva – 25 September 1885 Valeyres-sous-Rances) was a Swiss prominent botanist, explorer and mathematician. He was the son of Jacques Boissier (1784-1857) and Caroline Butini (1786-1836), daughter of Pierr ...
& Reut.
*'' Myosotis wumengensis''  L.Wei


Gallery

File:Myosotis scorpioides LC0184.jpg, ''
Myosotis scorpioides ''Myosotis scorpioides'' (syn. ''Myosotis palustris''), the true forget-me-not or water forget-me-not, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the borage family, Boraginaceae. Distribution and habitat It is native to Europe and Asia, bu ...
'' File:Myosotis eximia Flowers MRD Otari.jpg, '' Myosotis eximia'' File:Myosotis colensoi.jpg, '' Myosotis colensoi'' File:Myosotis pulvinaris 2.jpg, '' Myosotis pulvinaris'' File:Myosotis pansa kz1.jpg, '' Myosotis pansa'' File:Blue forget-me-nots.jpg, ''Myosotis sylvatica'' File:P1050373 Alpine forget-me-not (Myosotis alpestris) in Kharta Chu side valley, Tibet Thu 20 July 2006.jpg, ''
Myosotis alpestris ''Myosotis alpestris'' or alpine forget-me-not is a herbaceous perennial plant in the flowering plant family Boraginaceae. The alpine forget-me-not is the county flower of Westmorland in the United Kingdom and the state flower of Alaska in the ...
''


Symbolism

The small blue forget-me-not flower was first used by the
Grand Lodge A Grand Lodge (or Grand Orient or other similar title) is the overarching governing body of a fraternal or other similarly organized group in a given area, usually a city, state, or country. In Freemasonry A Grand Lodge or Grand Orient is the us ...
''Zur Sonne'', in 1926, as a Masonic emblem at the annual convention in
Bremen Bremen ( Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state con ...
, Germany. In 1938, a forget-me-not badge—made by the same factory as the Masonic badge—was chosen for the annual Nazi Party ''
Winterhilfswerk The ''Winterhilfswerk des Deutschen Volkes'' ( en, link=yes, Winter Relief of the German People), commonly known by its abbreviated form ''Winterhilfswerk'' (WHW), was an annual donation drive by the National Socialist People's Welfare (german: ...
'', the annual charity drive of the
National Socialist People's Welfare The National Socialist People's Welfare (german: Nationalsozialistische Volkswohlfahrt, NSV) was a social welfare organization during the Third Reich. The NSV was originally established in 1931 as a small Nazi Party-affiliated charity active loca ...
, the welfare branch of the Nazi party. This coincidence enabled
Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
to wear the forget-me-not badge as a secret sign of membership. 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. 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. It is also used in Germany to commemorate the fallen soldiers of the world wars in a similar manner to the use of remembrance poppies in the UK. The flower is also the symbol for the Armenian Genocide's 100th anniversary. The design of the flower is a black dot symbolising the past, and the suffering of Armenian people. The light purple appendages symbolise the present, and unity of Armenians. The 5 purple petals symbolise the future, and the five continents Armenians escaped to. The yellow in the centre symbolises eternity, and the Tsitsernakaberd itself symbolises the 12 provinces lost to Turkey. In Lithuania the flower has become one of the symbols for the commemoration of the January Events of 1991. 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. In history of art, the forget-me-not is used to remember loved ones who have passed away. It is therefore very common in funerary portraits.


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q147149 Boraginaceae genera Symbols of Alaska Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Blue flowers