Hackelia floribunda

Hackelia floribunda

Secure (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Boraginales
Family: Boraginaceae
Genus: Hackelia
Species:
H. floribunda
Binomial name
Hackelia floribunda
Synonyms[2]
  • Echinospermum deflexum var. floribundum (Lehm.) S.Watson
  • Echinospermum floribundum Lehm.
  • Hackelia leptophylla I.M.Johnst.
  • Hackelia scaberrima (Piper) Brand
  • Hackelia scaberrima var. angustata (Rydb.) Brand
  • Lappula angustata Rydb.
  • Lappula floribunda Greene
  • Lappula floribunda var. geisiana Jeps.
  • Lappula leptophylla Rydb.
  • Lappula scaberrima Piper

Hackelia floribunda is a species of flowering plant known by the common names large-flowered stickseed,[3] manyflower stickseed,[4] and wild forget-me-not.[5] It is part of the borage family.[2][6]

Description

Hackelia floribunda is a lush biennial or perennial herb with clusters of one to a few hairy stems reaching up to 90 centimetres (3 ft) tall.[5] The leaves are up to 20 cm (8 in) long; only the lower ones have petioles. The leaves are smaller at the top.[5]

From June to August, the coiled ends of the stems bear cyme inflorescences of blue flowers. The corollas are about 6 millimetres (14 in) wide;[5] each flower has five lobes with petallike appendages at their bases.

The fruit is a tiny, mildly prickly nutlet.[7]

Similar species

Hackelia micrantha has several stems and small prickles on the back of the nutlets. The prickles on the nutlet of H. floribunda help distinguish it from Myosotis (forget-me-nots).[5]

Distribution and habitat

The plant is native to much of the western half of North America, in southern Canada and the Midwestern and Western United States.[5]

It is most often found in areas which are wet during the springtime, such as meadows, wetlands, and riparian areas.[7]

References

  1. ^ NatureServe (2023). "Hackelia floribunda". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Hackelia floribunda (Lehm.) I.M.Johnst". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  3. ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  4. ^ NRCS. "Hackelia floribunda". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Spellenberg, Richard (2001) [1979]. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region (rev ed.). Knopf. pp. 416–17. ISBN 978-0-375-40233-3.
  6. ^ "Hackelia floribunda (Lehm.) I.M.Johnst". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000. n.d. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Burke Herbarium Image Collection". biology.burke.washington.edu.