Boraginaceae

Boraginaceae, commonly known as the borage or forget-me-not family, is a cosmopolitan group of flowering plants in the order Boraginales. The family comprises mostly herbaceous perennials and annuals, with some shrubs and a few woody species. It includes roughly 1,500 species in about 100 genera, distributed across temperate and subtropical regions worldwide.

Typical features include alternately arranged, simple leaves that are often rough and hairy. Many species have a scorpioid inflorescence, a coiled flower cluster that unfurls as the flowers mature. Flowers are usually bisexual, five-petaled, andbilaterally or radially symmetrical, commonly colored blue, purple, or white, and often with a tubular corolla formed by fused petals. The corolla lobes usually show a flight of upper lobes larger than the others. The fruit is typically a schizocarp that splits into four one-seeded nutlets.

Taxonomy and distribution: In modern classifications, Boraginaceae sensu lato includes several subfamilies and, in some systems, incorporates what were formerly treated as Hydrophyllaceae. The family is diverse, radiating widely in temperate zones and occupying a range of habitats from rocky slopes to meadows and disturbed sites. Genera such as Borago (borage), Myosotis (forget-me-nots), Pulmonaria (lungwort), Symphytum (comfrey), Lithospermum, and Cynoglossum are among the better known, with many cultivated as ornamentals or valued for their culinary or medicinal uses.

Ecology and human uses: Several species are grown ornamentally for their attractive flowers. Borage and certain other genera have culinary or historical medicinal uses, though many Boraginaceae species contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids and can be toxic if ingested in significant amounts. This necessitates caution in herbal and forage applications.