The Boraginaceae

The Borage Family

Bluebell Mertensia paniculata	Symphytum officinale

The Boraginaceae have a cosmopolitan distribution. Many found in temperate and subtropical regions including the Mediterranean and the western portion of North America. The family is made up of 117 genera and 2,400 species. The plants are generally herbaceous.

Click here for a distribution map of the Boraginaceae in the U.S.A.

Vegetative Characters | Reproductive Characters | Diagnostic Characters | Economic Importance/Fun Facts | Evolutionary Adaptations and Relationships | Glossary of Terms | References and Links | Pictures

Vegetative Characters

• usually herbaceous can be shrubs or trees
• generally scabrous or hispid
• leaves usually alternate, simple, entire and exstipulate
• often have rhizomes or taproots

Reproductive Characters

• inflorescence determinate, usually coiled cyme
• flowers are usually actinomorphic and perfect
• flowers usually showy with nectariferous disk
• calyx 5 basally connate or distinct sepals
• corolla sympetalous, 5 lobes, varying shape
• may have infoldings or scale-like appendages in throat
• often blue, white, pink or yellow
• 5 epipetalous stamen
• distinct filaments
• anthers dehisce longitudinally
• superior ovary
• 2 carpels
• 4 loculues (4 sections with false septa) can be deeply lobed
• 4 ovules, 1 per section
• axile placentation that can appear basal
• 1-2 gynobasic styles and 1-2 stigmas
• fruit is usually a schizocarp that splits into 4 nutlets, or a drupe

Diagnostic Characters

• often hispid or scabrous pubescence
• firm hairs often have calcified or silicified walls
• inflorescence a one sided cyme (helicoid or scorpiod) flowers on upper side, uncoiling as it matures
• 4 locules carpel with false septa
• corolla tube may have infoldings or scales
• fruit schizocarp or drupe, seeds have little endosperm

Economic Importance/Fun Facts

• timber
• red dye from the roots of Alkanna
• medicinal herbs
• contraceptive used by some Native Americans
• many are poisonous
• ornamentals

Evolutionary Adaptations and Relationships

• generally divided into 2-5 groups based on style characters and fruit type (Zomlefer 1994)
• monophyletic base on morphology (Judd 1999)
• cpDNA evidence may suggest paraphyly (Judd 1999)
• phylogenetic relationships are unclear, some associate Boraginaceae with the Lamiales other with the Solanales (Zomelfer 1994)

Glossary of Terms

• exstipulate- lacking stipules
• scabrous- rough
• hispid- rigid, stiff hairs
• gynobasic style- comes from the receptacle, appears to be inserted at base of ovary
• helicoid cyme- coiled cyme, lateral branches develop on same side as main axis
• scorpioid cyme- coiled cyme, lateral branches develop alternately on opposite side of main axis

References and Links

• Judd et al., 1999. Plant Systematics: a phylogenetic approach. Sinauer Associates, Inc. Sunderland, MA U.S.A.
• Zomlefer, Wendy B., 1994. Guide to Flowering Plant Families. The University of North Carolina Press Chapel Hill, NC USA.
• http://raysweb.net/wildflowers-edmonton/images-flowers/bluebell-400vh.jpg
• http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/aart/flora/Boraginaceae/Symphytum/S.officinale.ssp.offic/1.total.jpeg
• http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/images/hel_amp_234.jpg
• http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/images/sym_off_206.jpg
• http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/images/lit_rud.jpg
• http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/botany/images/p22-3.gif
• http://www.wisc.edu/botit/img/bot/401/Magnoliophyta/Magnoliopsida/Asteridae/Boraginaceae/Mertensia_virginica/Inflorescence_RK_.jpg
• http://www.biology.lsa.umich.edu/courses/bio215/BORAGINACEAE.jpg

Pictures

helicoid cyme Heliotropium amplexicaule	gynobasic style Symphytum officinale

nutlets Lithospermum ruderalespp.	diagram or cymes

Virginia Bluebells Mertensia virginica	Images of Inflorescence, notice scorpioid cyme

For questions or feedback, contact: Catharine Calandra