Natural History Story

The myosotis latifolia, or broadleaf forget-me-not belongs to the Boraginaceae family. It lives in riparian areas, coastal forsts and woodlands, moist fields and meadows, along roads and old gardens. It ranges primarily in coastal ranges; from Washington to California. It is native to Northwestern Africa. It is an introduced species in the US, and its invasiveness rank is a 54, where 0 poses no threat to ecosystems and 100 poses a huge threat to native ecosystems. It is a perennial herb that grows from 15 to 60 cm tall. The roots are fibrous. Stems are mostly unbranched, often angled, decumbent to erect, and hairy. Leaves are alternate, entire, 2.5 to 8 cm long, and 7 to 20 mm wide with scattered, short, flat-lying hairs. European forget-me-not has been cultivated as an ornamental plant and was most likely brought to North America as an intentional planting. It escapes from gardens into natural communities. The forget-me-not is native to temperate Eurasia, but this species now grows in 41 states of the U.S. and much of Canada. European forget-me-not is known from many locations north of the Arctic Circle in Norway and arctic Russia. European forget-me-not competes with native plants in wet areas and can form large monocultures, so it has the potential to significantly reduce populations of native plant species, and it may change the density of vegetation in naturally or human disturbed, wet areas. This species contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids that are toxic to mammals and can cause weight loss, poor body condition, and liver disease. Plants provide additional habitats for aquatic, winged insects. The nectar and pollen attract pollinating insects.

Posted on April 1, 2014 05:34 PM by sgoldthang