Species

Myosotis discolor

Etymology

Myosotis: mouse-eared
discolor: two colours or of different colours; from the latin dis and color; different colours of the leaf surfaces

Common Name(s)

grassland forget-me-not

Authority

Myosotis discolor Pers.

Family

Boraginaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

MYODIS

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). North, South and Chatham Islands

Habitat

Open weedy ground, grassland, clay pans, dunes and stone strewn ground - especially common in those sites prone to drying out in late summer

Features

Annual dark green to purple-green or maroon herb with one to many, erect, hairy branches to c.250 mm high. Lower leaves shortly petiolate or subsessile, to c.50 × 10 mm, oblong to oblong-spathulate, densely covered in straight hairs; apex obtuse to acute; upper leaves similar but smaller. Cymes ebracteate, usually elongating to greater in length than the leafy part of stem after flowering. Pedicels always less than calyces in length. Calyx c.3 mm long at anthesis, elongating to 4-5 mm and becoming closed at fruiting; tube with spreading, hooked hairs; lobes cut to half calyx-length. Corolla limb 1.5-2.5 mm diameter, yellow or cream, becoming blue; lobes entire, concave. Style equal to or great than calyx. Nutlets 1.2-1.5 × 0.75-1 mm, ovoid, dark brown or black, with very narrow rim. Description based on: Webb et al. (1988).

Flowering

October - January

Flower Colours

Cream,Yellow

Fruiting

December - April

Threats

Myosotis discolor is a naturalised weed in New Zealand. It was first recognised in New Zealand in 1879. Although it is an at times common weed of seasonally dry habitats (especially rough pasture and grassland) it is not regarded as a serious environmental weed. Its impacts (if any) on our indigenous ecosystems probably happened a long time ago in the early stages of its naturalisation.

Endemic Taxon

No

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Year Naturalised

1879

Origin

Europe








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