Myosotis discolor

Colorful forget-me -not (Myosotis discolor)

The Colorful forget-me -not (Myosotis discolor), also known as Yellow Forget-Me- Not is a member of the Borage Family ( Boraginaceae ). It flowers from April to June.

Appearance

The annual herbaceous plant reaches a height of about 10 to 30 cm. It is usually equipped with several stems. These are the basic spreading, hairy -fitting top. The leaves are narrowly elliptic - spatulate shaped and pointed forward. The hairs of the leaves have a straight tip. The lower leaves are stalk -like narrowed and arranged in rosettes. The Colorful Forget -me-not can be relatively easily distinguished from other Myosotis species, because the flowers on the same plant are usually colored differently: At the outset, they have a yellow hem and an approximately 2 mm long tube, then reddish and finally blue violet with a tube of double length. The flowers are arranged in elongated wrapping and have a diameter of about 1.5 to 2.5 mm. The fruit stalks are almost horizontal or upright spreading, more than 0.5 times as long as the calyx, and have no bracts.

Dissemination

Habitat requirements

The Colorful Myosotis grows in sandy lawn, in the hem of gorse bushes or pine stands, on - road and on field margins. It prefers open, moderately dry, base- poor, moderately acidic, loose sand and Steingrusböden in mild winter lowlands. It is a Kalkflüchter.

Popularization

Myosotis discolor comes from Iceland to Spain, North Africa, Canary Islands, northern Italy and east to the Balkans before. It is a subatlantisches Florenelement. In Austria it is rare and endangered in Switzerland very rare.

Distribution in Germany

The Colorful Myosotis is scattered before the Northern and Middle Germany. To the east and south it decreases sharply and is rarely encountered.

Species protection

Threat in Germany: Category 3: to be avoided!

The type should not be collected because of their rarity and partial general hazard!