Species

Myosotis arvensis

Etymology

Myosotis: mouse-eared
arvensis: Growing in arable fields

Common Name(s)

field forget-me-not

Authority

Myosotis arvensis (L.) Hill

Family

Boraginaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

MYOARV

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Distribution

Naturalised (Indigenous to Europe and western Asia). Present in North, South, Stewart Islands

Habitat

Rather common. A widespread weed of waste places, cultivated land, and other open, modified habitats also locally common in damp sites in tussock grassland. Altitudinal range sea level to c.1000 m.

Features

Annual to biennial herb. Stems numerous and erect, up to c.300 mm high, angled. Lower leaves sessile, to c.80 × 20 mm, oblanceolate to oblong, hairy on both surfaces; hairs not hooked; apex obtuse; upper leaves similar but smaller. Cymes ebracteate, elongating to slightly greater than leafy part of stem after flowering. Pedicels 1 to nearly 3× length of calyx at fruiting. Calyx 3-5 mm long, elongating to c.7 mm at fruiting; hairs spreading, often hooked towards base; lobes ± triangular, cut to about half the length of calyx. Corolla tube less than calyx-length; limb c.3 mm diameter, concave, blue; lobes entire. Style very short. Nutlets 1.5-2.5 × 0.75-1.0 mm, ovoid, acute, dark brown or black; rim present. Description from: Webb et al. (1988).

Flowering

October - May

Flower Colours

Blue,White

Fruiting

November - June

Threats

Myosotis arvensis is a naturalised weed in New Zealand. It was first recognised in New Zealand in 1872. although rather weedy it is not regarded as a serious environmental weed. Its impacts (if any) on our indigenous ecosystems have probably happened a long time ago in the early stages of its naturalisation.

Endemic Taxon

No

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Year Naturalised

1872

Origin

Europe, W. Asia



Attribution

Fact Sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 1 February 2008. Description based on Webb et al. (1988)

References and further reading

Webb CJ, Sykes WR, Garnock-Jones PJ 1988. Flora of New Zealand. Vol. IV. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch.

This page last updated on 17 Apr 2014