Myosotis (Greek: "mouse's ear", from leaf) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae that are commonly called Forget-me-nots.

Description

There are approximately fifty species in the genus and many of them have small (1 cm diameter or less) rather flat, 5-petalled blue flowers growing profusely on straggly stems, flowering in spring. Color variation is somewhat frequent within species, and white or pink forms are common.
Forget-me-nots can be annual or perennial plants and prefer shade and humidity.

Legends

God named all the plants when a tiny unnamed one cried out, "Forget-me-not, O Lord!" God replied, "That shall be your name."
In another legend, the little flower cried out, "Forget-me-not!" as Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden.

Other facts

In the United States, Myosotis alpestris is the state flower of Alaska.
The Alzheimer Society of Canada's symbol is the forget-me-not flower. The symbol represents memory loss - one of the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.




Fact by ~nicolehg
Photos by =aL-baum, ~Alexx-The-Great, =bellitudinis, *devknu, ~ELaiNes-DarkRoom, =heatherspettals, *inacom, ~Injato, ~joesqsek, *keldbach, ~Laura1995, *little-billie, =Moowna, =Nariscuss, ~nicolehg, ~PlumCrazee, =rosaarvensis, *SchwarzWieEbenholZ, *SilivrenTinu, *theshinyrock, =TrollDuNord, `WaitingForTheWorms, ~xNighty, =yokopoko