Boraginaceae is an interesting family of flowering plants often easily recognised by somewhat rough stems and coiled inflorescence. Here is some information to help members with uploads of members of this family. Members are requested to participate liberally with uploads of both identified and unidentified photographs.
Boraginaceae A. L. de Jussieu Borage family 117 genera, 2,435 species Widely distributed in temperate, tropical and subtropical regions. *Salient features:* Bristly herbs, stems cylindrical, leaves alternate, inflorescence helicoid cymes, flowers pentamerous, actinomorphic, carpels 2, ovary 4-lobed, style gynobasic, fruit with 4 nutlets. Major genera: Cordia (300 species), Heliotropium (250) Tournefortia (240), Onosma (140), Myosotis (90), Cynoglossum (75) and Ehretia (75). Description: Herbs, shrubs or trees (Cordia), sometimes lianas, inner phloem lacking, hairs with basal cystolith and often calcified or silicified and as such plants bristly, rough to touch. Leaves alternate, simple, entire, venation pinnate, reticulate, stipules absent. Inflorescence usually of helicoid cymes, rarely scorpioid. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, rarely zygomorphic (Echium), hypogynous, pentamerous. Calyx with 5 sepals, free or slightly connate at base, persistent. Corolla with 5 petals, united, rotate, tubular or funnel shaped, usually plicate. Androecium with 5 stamens, epipetalous, inserted in corolla tube, filaments free, bithecous, anthers introrse, dehiscence longitudinal, pollen grains tricolporate or multiporate, filaments often with nectar discs at base. Gynoecium with 2 united carpels, ovary superior, deeply 4-lobed, bilocular, axile placentation, becoming 4-locular due to false septa, style 1, terminal or gynobasic, stigma 1 or bilobed, capitate or truncate, ovary seated on a nectary. Fruit a drupe with one 4-seeded, two 2-seeded or four 1-seeded pits or schizocarp with four 1-seeded nutlets; seeds with embryo straight or curved. Pollination mostly by insects. Drupaceous fruits are dispersed by birds, whereas corky ones (Argusia, Cordia) are carried away by water. Economic importance: Several species of Heliotropium (heliotrope), Mertensia (virgin bluebells), Myosotis (forget-me-not), Cordia (Geiger tree), Cynoglossum (hound’s tongue) and Pulmonaria (lungwort) are grown as ornamentals. Several species such as Borago officinalis (borage), Symphytum officinalis (comphrey) and Lithospermum spp. (pucoon) have been used as medicinal herbs. Alkanna tinctoria (alkanet) is a source of red dye used to stain wood and marble and to colour medicines, wines and cosmetics. Expected genera in India *Adelocaryum* *Anchusa* Arnebia Asperugo Bothriospermum Chionocharis Cordia Cynoglossum Ehretia Echinospermum Eritrichium Hackelia Heliotropium Lappula Lindelofia Lithospermum Lycopsis Maharanga Mertensia Microula Myosotis Onosma Paracaryum Pseudomertensia Rochelia Solenanthus Trigonotis -- Dr. Gurcharan Singh Retired Associate Professor SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018. Phone: 011-25518297 Mob: 9810359089 http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/
