Water Forget-me-not
Myosotis scorpioides
The water forget-me-not is a perennial herbaceous plant that can reach heights of up to 80 centimeters. It is characterized by its distinctive light blue flowers with a yellow center, arranged in cyme inflorescences. The plant prefers nutrient-rich, muddy soils on banks, ditches, and in marshy meadows. It spreads both via seeds and through above-ground creeping runners, often forming dense mats.
Details
Oxygen production
Minor through photosynthesis of the emergent plant parts.
Habitat function
Serves as cover for amphibians and as an egg-laying site for dragonflies and other aquatic insects.
Nutrient uptake
Absorbs nitrogen and phosphates from water-saturated soil and contributes to water purification.
Food source for
Bees, hoverflies, butterflies, and beetles.
Human use
Popular ornamental plant for pond edges; formerly used in folk medicine for respiratory diseases.
Ecology
Ecological role
Important pioneer plant in siltation zones, contributing to bank stabilization and providing food for insects.
Natural predators
Leaf beetles, aphids, and various species of snails feed on the leaves.
Competitor species
Competes with rushes, sedges, and purple loosestrife in moist habitats.
Ecosystem service
Shoreline stabilization, provision of nectar for pollinators, contribution to biodiversity in wetlands.
Threats
Drainage of wet meadows, intensive agriculture, and shoreline engineering.
Scientific profile
Profile
Reproduction
Generative via seeds (nutlets) dispersed by water (hydrochory) or animals. Vegetative via above-ground stolons, leading to colony formation.
Protection & threats
Main threats
Threatened by the drainage of wet meadows, intensive shore reinforcement, channelization of watercourses, and the loss of natural floodplains.