Marsh forget-me-not is recognized as one of the most spectacular representatives of the Borage family. These flowers grow in wet meadows or along the banks of water bodies. For several years, this plant has been widely used in flower arrangements and for decorating flower beds.
Forget-me-not is shrouded in many legends. One of them says that at the time when the goddess Flora gave names to all plants, she did not notice a small blue flower, and as she was leaving, she suddenly heard a thin voice behind her: “Do not forget about me.” Flora looked around and saw a pretty pale blue flower. She gave him the name - forget-me-not, endowing him with the ability to return people's memory.
Forget-me-not description
This is a perennial plant with a height of thirty to fifty centimeters. The marsh forget-me-not (Myosotis palustris) gets its name from two Greek words: myos, which translates as “mouse,” and ous, which means “ear.” And in fact, the leaves of this plant, pubescent with numerous short hairs, resemble the ears of a rodent.
Forget-me-not marsh grows in partial shadeand in the shade along the outskirts of swamps, on the banks of reservoirs, in moist forests. The plant is widespread in Siberia, in the European part of our country, in Belarus, Mongolia, Ukraine, as well as in South Africa and Asia. Very popular in Germany, France, Sweden and England. In our country, there are other names for forget-me-not - gourd, pretty, fever grass.
The swamp forget-me-not propagates by seeds and cuttings. It tolerates transplanting well, and even during flowering, it prefers loamy soil, well fertilized with humus, loose. This species of forget-me-not has a well-developed, shallow, fibrous root system.
Leaves and stem
Forget-me-not marsh has strong, tetrahedral, branched, rough almost bare stems. The leaves are linear-lanceolate or lanceolate, sessile, four to eight centimeters long and about two and a half centimeters wide. Painted bright green. Growing, the plant forms a ground cover.
Forget-me-not flower diagram
It is necessary to dwell on the forget-me-not flowers in more detail. First, let's understand what a chart is. This is a projection of a flower onto a plane perpendicular to the axis of the flower. It is made up of transverse sections of unblown flower buds. You can see the graphic image of the chart below.
The calyx is somewhat shorter than the corolla tube. It consists of five leaves fused together. The corolla also consists of five fusedpetals. On the border of the blades and the tube there are five thick yellow scales that form a ring - a rim that closes the nectar and prevents its evaporation. The corolla tube is short, and the corolla itself is wheel-shaped in shape. There are five stamens on the inner surface of the tube. The pistil has an upper four-lobed ovary. A column with a capitate stigma grows from its middle.
A nectar-bearing roller is clearly visible around the ovary. The marsh forget-me-not has tiny, hook-shaped spines along its dorsal margin. They are essential for fruit distribution.
Using forget-me-not
Today, landscape designers use swamp forget-me-not to decorate a spring flower garden. Its use as a container culture is fully justified in the spring design of the porch, terrace, gazebo. Forget-me-not swamp will be a wonderful decoration of the shore of the reservoir. The plant is used in borders, groups, mixborders, alpine slides.
You should know that after the plant has faded, it loses its decorative effect. In this case, you should very carefully select neighbors for it with a lush rosette of leaves (ferns, hostas) or remove this plant from the flower garden, changing it to annuals.
The swamp forget-me-not looks most impressive next to colorful daffodils and tulips, in the shade of trees next to lily of the valley. Such flower beds do not need complex care, as the plants form a dense cover on the surface.soil, making it impossible for weeds to grow. In addition to flower beds, this type of forget-me-not looks great in balcony boxes. It is better to plant a lot of these blue flowers. In addition, these pretty flowers can be cut and stored in a vase for about two weeks.
Healing properties
Forget-me-not marsh has many healing properties, but for medicinal purposes they use the plant's grass, juice and powder made from flowers of the stems and leaves. The presence of healing properties is explained by the content of fatty acids, alkaloids and lipids in the composition. Aliphatic hydrocarbons were found in the seeds.
As a diaphoretic for respiratory infections, tea from the leaves and flowers of forget-me-not is recommended. A decoction of forget-me-not marsh is used for eye diseases in the form of lotions. The powder and juice of the herb is used for diseases of the genital organs, as well as tumors of the oral cavity, including malignant ones. From the leaves and stems of the marsh forget-me-not, an essential extract is prepared, which is an effective antibacterial agent.
Infusion of forget-me-not
To prepare such a healing composition, you will need three tablespoons (tablespoons) of chopped dry grass and half a liter of boiling water. The resulting mixture is infused for an hour, and then filtered through gauze. Take the infusion three times a day for 1/2 cup in the form of heat. Achieving the maximum effect of treatment with this remedy is facilitated by strict adherence to the recipe and intake norms. And of course, you need to consult with your doctor.
Reviews about forget-me-not
The vast majority of reviews are related to the decorative properties of this plant. Flower growers consider the swamp forget-me-not, the description of which we have presented in this article, to be a spectacular decoration of a garden or summer cottage. It goes well with many annuals and perennials. Its disadvantages include only a short decorative period: it is limited by the flowering time.
The medicinal properties of the plant are also noted. First of all, this concerns its antibacterial properties and the treatment of certain eye diseases. But before using drugs based on forget-me-not, you need to consult a specialist.
