Myosotis arvensis facts for kids

The field forget-me-not (Myosotis arvensis) is a small, beautiful flowering plant. It belongs to the Boraginaceae family, which includes many other interesting plants. You can often find this plant growing in open fields and gardens. It's known for its tiny, pretty blue flowers.

Quick facts for kids Myosotis arvensis
Scientific classification
Genus:	Myosotis
Species:	arvensis

This plant is usually an annual, meaning it lives for only one growing season. Sometimes, it can be a short-lived perennial, coming back for a few years. It's a herbaceous plant, which means it has soft, green stems, not woody ones like trees.

What Does It Look Like?

The field forget-me-not has some special features that help you identify it:

• It grows upright, reaching up to 40 centimeters (about 16 inches) tall.
• Its stems and leaves are softly hairy. The hairs stick out almost straight from the stem.
• The flowers are a lovely grey-blue color. They are small, about 3 to 5 millimeters (0.1 to 0.2 inches) across.
• The flowers are shaped like a saucer when you look at them from the side.
• You can see these flowers from April all the way to October.

Flower Parts and Fruit

The flowers have a special part called the sepal tube. This tube is covered in tiny hooked hairs. After the flower blooms, it forms a fruit.

• The ripe fruit is dark brown and shiny.
• Around the fruit, there is a part called the calyx. The calyx has spreading stalks that are longer than the sepal tube.
• The teeth of the calyx hide the ripe fruit inside.

Leaves

The leaves of the field forget-me-not also have distinct features:

• The leaves at the bottom of the plant are on stalks and form a circle, like a rosette.
• The leaves higher up on the stem do not have stalks.

Where Does It Grow?

You can generally find the field forget-me-not in open areas. It prefers ground that drains water well, so it's not usually found in very wet places. This plant is very common throughout the British Isles. It also grows in other parts of Europe and North America, like Michigan.

Gallery

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  General view of the plant

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  A cluster of small blue flowers

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  A close-up of a single flower; the background squares are 5mm across

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  A side view of the flower showing the sepal tube; the background squares are 5mm across

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  The mature fruit of the plant - side 1; the background squares are 5mm across

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  The mature fruit of the plant - side 2; the background squares are 5mm across

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  The calyx covering the fruit inside; the background squares are 5mm across

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  The calyx stalk is longer than the sepal tube; the background squares are 5mm across

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  A close-up of a non-basal leaf