A Few Native Members of the Borage Family

Continuing with my efforts to edit and share some of the photos in the backlog on my hard drive – I thought I’d share some photos of native plants that are members of the Boraginaceae (Borage or Forget Me Not) family. Members of the borage family are known for their alternating leaves, many of which are hairy. The flowers usually have five lobes and are tubular shape.

Virginia Bluebells (mertensia virginica) are the member of this family that I photograph most frequently. I know several places here in the DC area where they bloom each spring. Last year, I found some wonderful Virginia Bluebells at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond to photograph.

 

 

 

 

Purple Phacelia (phacelia bipinnatifida) is one of the wildflowers I see every spring in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  If you’re in the park at the right time of year it can seem as if the roadways are lined with purple phacelia.

 

 

 

I photographed some Tall Fringed Bluebells (mertensia ciliata) in the Gunnison National Forest in Colorado a few years ago. When I spotted them I knew they were a type of bluebell since they looked so similar to the Virginia Bluebells – just wasn’t sure what type.

 

 

That same afternoon in the Gunnison National Forest, I found a single False Forget Me Not (hackelia floribunda) plant with a few blossoms.

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing some of my photos of members of borage family. I’m always on the lookout for new-to-me wildflowers – who knows – perhaps I’ll find another member of the borage family this year.