The Borage is not a very common plant, though it is widely distributed
throughout the country. You find it on hedge-banks and in waste places,
and it blooms in summer and autumn.
It has beautiful bright blue flowers, with five petals which are
gracefully pointed at the tips. These flowers droop either singly or in
clusters at the end of stout, hairy stalks.
The stamens of the Common Borage have no thread-like stalks; their
purple heads are placed close together in a circle round the slender
white pillar of the seed-vessel. Notice the curious purple horns that
rise from the back of each stamen. There is a ring of dark purple scales
with white blotches on them at the base of the petals. The calyx has
five long narrow pointed sepals. These are covered with bristly hairs,
and so are the leaves, stalks, and stem.
The leaves of the Borage are a dusty grey-green colour. Wherever the
stem forks, you find a large stalkless leaf clasping it. These leaves
are usually oval, but they are very varied in shape, and those leaves
that rise from the root are frequently quite different.
The stem is light green and is round, with a hollow in the centre.