Borage

Plant Characteristics

Habit		herbaceous
Height:	⇕	60 cm"cm" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 60. to 1 m"m" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 1.
Lifespan:	⌛	annual

Cultivation

Flower features:	❀	blue

Scientific Names

Boraginaceae >

Borago >

officinalis >

L. >

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Borage, also known as starflower is an annual herb originating in Syria, but naturalized throughout the Mediterranean region, as well as Asia Minor, Europe, North Africa, and South America. It grows to a height of 60 - 100 cm, and is bristly or hairy all over the stems and leaves; the leaves are alternate, simple, and 5 - 15 cm long. The flowers are complete, perfect with five narrow, triangular-pointed petals. Flowers are most often blue in color, although pink flowers are sometime observed. White flowered types are also cultivated. The flowers arise along scorpiod cymes to form large floral displays with multiple flowers blooming simultaneously, suggesting that borage has a high degree of geitonogamy. It has an indeterminate growth habit which may lead to prolific spreading. In milder climates, borage will bloom continuously for most of the year. Borage production does include use as either a fresh vegetable or a dried herb.

Read about Borage in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Borage (Borago officinalis, Linn.). Boraginaceae. A coarse annual plant grown for culinary use in some parts of Eu., as in Germany. Used as a potherb and sometimes with salads. Only the young lvs. are palatable. Mostly known in this country as a bee-plant and for its handsome blue or purplish racemed fls. It is a hairy plant, 1½-2 ft. high, with oval or oblong Lvs. Eu., N. Afr. Eng. Borago laxiflora DC., is a small, decumbent alpine, but of easy cult., offered in the trade. It has alternate, ovate lvs., hairy throughout, and pretty, long-peduncled, purple or violet fls. Corsica. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Cultivation

Gallery

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  Detail of flower

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  A white flower cultivar

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  photo 1

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  photo 2

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  photo 3

References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Borage. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Borage QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)