Pentaglottis Sempervirens, Green Alkanet

Day 208: Tiny bright blue flowers always command my attention when I am looking for invasives. There are a lot of species with similar blooms, and people generally dismiss them as "forget-me-nots," not understanding that they could be from different genera. Most fall under Myosotis, the true forget-me-not often cultivated as a garden plant despite being considered invasive. Then there are Hackelia and Lappula, both "stickseeds," both native, but thoroughly obnoxious as their common name might suggest. There is also Brunnera, another garden plant which is easier to control than Myosotis and touted as a substitute for it. And then there is Pentaglottis sempervirens (above, also known as Green Alkanet or Evergreen Bugloss), with its prickly stems and lush foliage which forms large clumps. It is a member of the Borage family, and is also invasive. I was not happy when I found it in a small park in Eatonville. All of the above produce flowers which are pink upon opening, and which mature to a bright, attractive blue. The flowers of each are followed by tiny burr-like nutlets which attach to socks and animal hair with a vengeance. This mechanism facilitates the plants' spread, and is another example of why it is important to "de-seed" your clothing before leaving an area where the plants occur. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," as the saying goes.