Myosotis L.
Annual, biennial or perennial, ± hairy herbs. Habit from cushion form to erect or sprawling. Infl. usually cymose, ebracteate or bracteate, often enlarged at fruiting. Calyx 5-toothed, often accrescent. Corolla ± rotate; tube short, infolded to form 5 scales at throat; limb of 5 equal lobes, patent or concave, contorted in bud, blue, purple, white, yellow, brown or orange. Stamens with anthers either partly below scales (sect. Myosotis) or wholly above them (sect. Exarrhena). Ovary 4-celled; style slender. Nutlets 4, ovoid, brown or black, smooth and glossy, often with a distinct rim.
Key
2
Cymes ebracteate or with bracts at base only, elongating greatly after flowering; corolla blue or becoming blue (occasional white-flowered mutants in a population)
Cymes bracteate or if ebracteate, then not elongating greatly after flowering; corolla usually white, yellow, or brown to almost black, or rarely blue
6
Fruiting cymes < to slightly > leafy part of stem; fruiting pedicels > calyx (at least in lower part of infructescence)
Veins of lower lf surface without hooked hairs; corolla firstly cream or yellow, then becoming blue
11
Lvs narrow-elliptic, pointed; fls yellow fading to white, often both colours present on a cushion
15
Calyx lobed almost to base; lobes widespreading at fruiting; calyx hairs appressed, uniformly short, stiff, forming sparse but even cover
Calyx lobed to c. 1/2 way; lobes ± erect at fruiting; calyx hairs ± spreading, uniform or not, ± aggregated in longitudinal strips
C
Hairs with soft, ± flexuous tip; nutlets quite immersed in long calyx
var. drucei
Hairs strigose; calyx tube short, nutlets protruding
var. pygmaea
18
Calyx hairs of 2 sharply distinct kinds: (a) short, fine, straight, closely appressed; (b) long, coarse, hooked, spreading
A
Stem lvs without hooked hairs on undersurface
var traversii
Stem lvs with many, long, hooked hairs on undersurface
B
Lf hairs long and spreading, those on undersurface of rosette lvs retrorse; infl. usually capitate even at fruiting
var cantabrica
Lf hairs short and smoothly appressed, not retrorse on undersurface of rosette lvs; infl. usually elongate at fruiting
var cinerascens
20
Calyx 3-6 mm long, deeply lobed, with many hairs definitely hooked; anther tips not protruding above scales
Calyx 5-9 mm long, lobed to about 1/2 way, with few if any hairs definitely hooked; anther tips projecting above scales
25
Infl. usually of < 8 narrow-tubed fls, with up to 3 of lowest fls bracteate; lateral branches ± decumbent, rarely > 8 cm long; hairs flexuous, neither hooked nor retrorse, sparse or 0 on undersurface of rosette lvs
A
Plant compact; hairs ± overlapping; calyx lobed to ⅓
var lyallii
Plant lax; hairs few and widely spaced; calyx lobed to at least 1/2
var townsonii
Calyx lobed almost to base; calyx lobes narrow, without ribs; lf hairs straight, or if flexuous then some retrorse
30
Lvs ± elliptic, very gradually narrowed to petiole; calyx hairs long, flexuous to slightly hooked, crowded
Lvs orbicular to broad-elliptic, narrowed abruptly to petiole; calyx hairs short, stiff, sparse
A
A Corolla tube ± cylindric, much longer than wide, with scales far above calyx tips
var. pottsiana
Corolla tube wide-funnelform, barely as long as wide, with scales at or below calyx tips
B
B Corolla 6-8 mm diam., with scales c. at level of calyx tips; stamens exceeding corolla
var. petiolata
Corolla 10-15 mm diam., with scales much below calyx tips; stamens not exceeding corolla
var. pansa
37
Infl. usually much-branched; corolla white; corolla tube < calyx; calyx 4-5 mm long at fruiting
Infl. simple or once-forked; corolla yellow to brownish orange to brown to deep purple; corolla tube much > calyx; calyx 6-9 mm long at fruiting
39
Plant erect or sprawling, without roots among stems lvs; stem hairs short and closely appressed; calyx hairs uniformly short and straight; corolla broadly open; stigma capitate
Plant ± creeping, with adventitious roots among stem lvs; stem hairs slightly spreading to shaggy; calyx hairs not uniform in size, the largest ± hooked; corolla narrow; stigma clavate
A
A Plant straggling, hispid, especially on stems; pedicel much > calyx at fruiting; corolla c. 3 mm diam.
var spathulata
Plant creeping, rooting freely, hairs shorter; pedicel c. = calyx at fruiting; corolla up to c. 2 mm diam.
var radicata
c. 50 spp., temperate Eurasia, tropical montane Africa, South Africa, Australasia. Native spp. 34, naturalised 6.
![Fig. 42. Fls of Myosotis. A M. discolor; B M. laxa; C M. sylvatica. © All rights reserved. [Image: 4X51]](https://data.landcareresearch.co.nz/Image/4X51/SysPortalPreview)
Fig. 42. Fls of Myosotis. A M. discolor; B M. laxa; C M. sylvatica. © All rights reserved. [Image: 4X51]
