Largeseed Forget-me-not is a native, winter annual, wildflower in the borage (Boraginaceae) family. It has tiny white flowers on a hairy stalk that appear in the spring. It can be found in disturbed sites, bottomland forests and fields; in North Carolina, it is common in the Piedmont, but less so in the Coastal Plains or Mountains. Largeseed Forget-me-not does best in moist to dry, organically rich soils in full sun to part shade. It will tolerate poorer soil containing sand, gravel, or clay and will grow in full shade. Myosotis macrosperma is very similar to Myosotis verna ; sometimes they are considered different varieties of the same species. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases or insect pests.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Creeping; Spreading
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Smooth
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Green lanceolate leaves with hairs and a single distinct midrib are alternate and usually basilar. The leaves are ½ to 2 inches long and about one-third as wide; they are light green, smooth and usually hairy on both the upper and lower surfaces.
Flower color
White
Flower form
Cyme; Raceme
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Tiny, five-petaled white flowers appear in cymes in the spring with green linear bracts. The flowers appear on elongated racemes about 2 to 8 inches long. Each raceme has about 8-24 flowers. Each flower is 1/8 of an inch across, consisting of a white corolla with 5 rounded lobes, a hairy calyx with 5 lanceolate sepals, 5 stamens (inconspicuous), and a pistil. The blooming period occurs from mid-spring to early summer and lasts about 2 months.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Green
Fruit type
Caryopsis; Schizocarp
Fruit detail
Greenish brown to brown nutlets are burr-like and will lodge in fur or clothing. Each fruit contains 4 seeds.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Ascending to erect angled green stems with long white hairs.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Southeastern Canada, central and eastern United States.
Distribution
Eastern Canada, Pennsylvania south to Florida, west to Texas