Leaf
Salicyna, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Blue-eyed Mary
Omphalodes verna Moench
Also known as: Creeping navelwort, Creeping forget-me-not
Family: Boraginaceae
10 to 20 cm tall
Cool woodland and shaded borders; spring ground cover planted beneath deciduous shrubs
Flowering: March – May
Shade
Part shade
Hardy to about -20°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its intense blue and early flowering have earned it the nickname 'false forget-me-not', although it belongs to a different botanical genus and forms a much denser, longer-lasting carpet.
🍃 Leaves
Ovate to heart-shaped, bright green, slightly hairy, forming a dense, stoloniferous carpet
🌸 Flowers
Small, bright blue with a white eye, star-shaped, grouped in loose clusters, very similar to forget-me-not
🍎 Fruits
Small dry achenes with hooks, dispersed by clinging
🪵 Bark
Not applicable — stoloniferous herbaceous perennial
🗺️ Distribution
Native to the forests of central Europe and the Balkans; widely cultivated in western Europe
🐝 Value for pollinators
Early, nectar-rich flowers useful to the first bees of spring
✂️ Horticultural uses
Spring ground cover for shaded borders, often combined with daffodils and hellebores
🌿 Other Boraginaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.
© Floraneo — profile content is protected; reproduction without permission is prohibited. Photos remain under their own licence (see the credit shown on each photo).