AN ILLUSTRATED KEY TO THE BORAGINACEAE OF ALBERTA - Compiled and written by Lorna Allen & Linda Kershaw September 2019 - Alberta Native Plant Council
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AN ILLUSTRATED KEY TO THE
BORAGINACEAE OF ALBERTA
Compiled and written by
Lorna Allen & Linda Kershaw
September 2019
© Linda J. Kershaw & Lorna AllenThis key was compiled using information primarily from Moss (1983), Douglas et al. 1998 and Lesica 2012. Taxonomy follows VASCAN (Brouillet, 2019). The main references are listed at the end of the key. Please let us know if there are ways in which the keys can be improved. The 2018 S-ranks of rare species (S1; S1S2; S2; S2S3; SH; SU, according to ACIMS, 2018) are noted in superscript (S1;S2;SU) after the species names. For more details go to the ACIMS web site. Similarly, exotic species are followed by a superscript X, XX if noxious and XXX if prohibited noxious (X; XX; XXX) according to the Alberta Weed Control Act (2016).
Boraginaceae
→
1a
Borage Family
Until recently, Heliotropium curassavicum was in
the Boraginaceae. It is now in Heliotropaceae
(see Key to Families - Group 9).
Key to Genera
01a Fruiting calyx (→) forming a flattened, 2-lipped
envelope 1-2 cm wide; flowers 1-2 in leaf axils;
stems weak, trailing, 30-120 cm long, with
backward-pointing prickles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Asperugo procumbens X
01b Calyx not enlarged in fruit; flowers in 1-sided
or coiled clusters at branch tips; habit and
stems not as above. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .02
02a Corollas star-shaped, >1 cm across; stamens
converging in a cone that projects beyond the
petals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Borago officinalis X
02b Corollas funnel-, trumpet- or bell-shaped,
2a08a Flower clusters leafy; nutlets white, grey or
pale brown, very hard, smooth and shiny, egg-
shaped, 3-6(8) mm long. . . . . Lithospermum
08b Flower clusters not leafy, bracts, if present,
shorter or only slightly longer than the flowers,
(stem leaves may overtop the flower clusters
in young plants); nutlets not as above . . . . 09
8a
09a Flower clusters with bracts to the tip. . . . . .10
09b Flower clusters without bracts or only the
lowest flowers with bracts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
10a Plants annual, 10-20 cm tall; corollas white,
≤1 mm across; leaves lance-shaped to spoon-
shaped, widest towards the tip, 0.5-1.5 cm
long. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cryptantha minima S2
10a
10b Plants perennial, 10-40 cm tall; corollas dark
crimson-brown, 10-15 mm across; leaves
linear to lance-shaped, 3-10 cm long. . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nonea vesicaria X
10b
11a Corollas tubular, flaring slightly to a lobed cup
or funnel at the mouth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
11b Corollas tubular, tipped with a disc of wide-
spreading lobes at the mouth. . . . . . . . . . . 13
12a Stems hairless or with a few soft hairs; corollas
blue (often pink in bud); stem leaves absent or
all alternate; native plants of open and wooded
sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mertensia
12b Stems with stiff, spreading hairs; corollas
12a reddish-purple or cream-colored; stem leaves
present, all opposite or lower leaves alternate;
introduced weeds of disturbed sites. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Symphytum officinale X
12b 13a Flowers blue (rarely white); nutlets rounded,
smooth and shiny, with a small basal scar. . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Myosotis
13b Flowers white or orange-yellow; nutlets usually
pointed, dull, wrinkled or smooth, with a broad,
flat base or with a scar on the side. . . . . . . 14
14a Corollas bright blue with a bent, 4-7 mm
long tube ending in 5 spreading lobes and 5
13a prominent white-hairy bulges, 4-6 mm across;
14a nutlets with a thick basal rim surrounding a
stalk-like plug; exotic, a rare garden escape .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anchusa arvensis X
14b Corollas orange-yellow or white, without white-
hairy bulges at the lobe bases; nutlets without
a basal rim or stalk-like plug. . . . . . . . . . . . 15
15a Flowers bright orange-yellow; leaves lance-
shaped to oblong-oval and widest at or below
the middle. . . . . . . . . Amsinckia menziesii X
15b Flowers white; leaves linear to lance-shaped
and widest towards the tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
15a
416a Leaves with long, bristly hairs, mostly alternate;
annual, biennial or perennial, in dry sites;
nutlets smooth or bumpy, with a long groove ±
from base to tip. . . . . . . Cryptantha (in part)
16b Leaves with stiff, flat-lying hairs, paired at the
base, alternate above; annual, in moist sites;
nutlets strongly wrinkled and bumpy, with a
16b raised, oblique scar.Plagiobothrys scouleri X
16a Cryptantha Cryptantha
01a Plants perennial/biennial, with woody taproots
and persistent thickened bases; basal leaves
----------------------- in a conspicuous tuft; stems ≥3 mm thick,
simple or branched from the base; corollas
6-11 mm wide, conspicuous; nutlets 3-4 mm
long, all similar . . . . Cryptantha celosioides
. . [incl. Cryptantha macounii; C. nubigena]
1a 01b Plants annual, with slender taproots and
without persistent thickened bases; basal
leaves absent; stems 1-2 mm thick, often
diffusely branched; corollasLappula Stickseed
01a Nutlets with a single row of prickles along the
edge; prickles flattened, often joined at the
base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lappula occidentalis
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [Lappula redowskii]
01b Nutlets with 2 rows of prickles along the edge;
prickles slender, not joined at the base. . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lappula squarrosa X
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [Lappula echinata]
1a
1b Lithospermum Gromwell
----------------------- 01a Leaves broadly lance-shaped; styles
conspicuously extending beyond the corollas;
flowers dull white or greenish white, with
pointed lobes typically converging around the
style . . . . . . . . . Lithospermum occidentale
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [Onosmodium molle]
01b Leaves oblong-lance-shaped; styles included
within the corollas; flowers orange or yellow
(sometimes green-tinged) with spreading,
rounded lobes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02
1a
02a Corollas bright yellow or orange, >10 mm long,
with tubes well surpassing the calyxes and
with lobes fringed or toothed; nutlets 3-4 mm
long. . . . . . . . . . . . . Lithospermum incisum
02b Corollas pale yellow or greenish,Myosotis Forget-me-not
01a Plants perennial, native, in subalpine to alpine
2a meadows; corollas 4-8 mm across. . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Myosotis asiatica
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [Myosotis alpestris]
1a
01b Plants annual or perennial, exotic, uncommon
weeds of disturbed ground; corollas 2-5 mm
across. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02
02a Plants perennial, calyxes with straight, flat-
lying, forward-pointing hairs. Myosotis laxa X
02b Plants annual, calyxes with some hooked,
spreading hairs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02
03a Fruiting stalks (pedicels) shorter than the
calyxes; flower clusters extending almost to
the base of the plant. . . . . Myosotis stricta X
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [Myosotis micrantha]
03b Fruiting stalks longer than the calyxes; flower
clusters shorter than to slightly longer than the
leafy part of the plant . . Myosotis arvensis X
3a
3b
7References
Alberta Conservation Information Management System (ACIMS). 2018. List of all
Vascular Plant Taxa Confirmed for Alberta as recorded in the ACIMS database -
March 2018 in A. Parks, editor. ACIMS, Government of Alberta, Edmonton, AB.
Britton, N. L. and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States and
Canada. Reprinted by Dover Publications in 1970 edition. Dover Publications,
Inc., New York, New York.
Boivin, B. 1972. Flora of the prairie provinces. Part III. Provancheria 4, Universite
Laval, Quebec, QC.
Brouillet, L., F. Coursol, S.J. Meades, M. Favreau, M. Anions, P. Bélisle & P. Desmet.
2015. VASCAN, the Database of Vascular Plants of Canada. http://data.
canadensys.net/vascan/
Budd, A. C., J. Looman, and K. F. Best. 2016. Budd’s flora of the Canadian prairie
provinces. Volume 2. Dicots. Reprint edition. CreateSpace Independent
Publishing Platform, North Charleston, SC.
Douglas, G. W., Straley, G.B., D. Meidinger, and J. Pojar. 1998. Illustrated flora of
British Columbia. Volume 2. Dicotyledons (Balsaminaceae through Cuscutaceae).
British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Victoria, British Columbia.
Flora ID. 2017. Interactive plant keys for all native and naturalized vascular plants in
the Pacific Northwest. Flora-id.org, Pendleton, Oregon. Accessed 2017. Flora.id@
wechlink.us.
Hitchcock, C. L., A. Cronquist, M. Ownbey, and J. W. Thompson. 1955-69. Vascular
plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, Seattle,
Washington.
Kershaw, L., J. Gould, D. Johnson, and J. Lancaster, editors. 2001. Rare vascular
plants of Alberta. University of Alberta Press, Edmonton, Alberta.
Lesica, P. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Botanical Research Institute of
Texas, Fort Worth, Texas.
Moss, E. H. 1983. Flora of Alberta. 2nd edition. University of Toronto Press, Toronto,
Ontario.
Province of Alberta. 2016. Weed Control Act, Office Consolidation. Alberta Regulation
19/2010 with amendments up to and including Alberta Regulation 125/2016.
Alberta Queen’s Printer, Edmonton, AB. Accessed 2018. www.qp.alberta.ca.
SASK Herbarium. 2006. Virtual herbarium of plants at risk in Saskatchewan: A natural
heritage. Department of Plant Science, College of Agriculture, University of
Saskatchewan. Accessed 2019 09. http://www.usask.ca/biology/rareplants_sk.
Scoggan, H. J. 1978-1979. The flora of Canada. National Museum of Natural
Sciences, National Museums of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
University of Alberta Herbarium. 2018. Online Vascular Plant Herbarium. University
of Alberta Museums, Edmonton, AB. Accessed 2019 09. http://vascularplant.
museums.ualberta.ca/.
Williams, L. O. 1937. A monograph of the genus Mertensia in North America. Annals of
the Missouri Botanical Garden 24:17-159.
8List of Species and Illustration Sources
Scientific Name Illus. Source
Amsinckia menziesii H&C
Anchusa arvensis BC Key to Illustration Sources
Andersonglossum boreale H&C B&B Britton and Brown (1913)
Asperugo procumbens H&C
Borago officinalis H&C BC = Province of BC
Cryptantha celosioides H&C H&C = Hitchcock, C. L., A. Cronquist, M.
Cryptantha fendleri H&C Ownbey, and J. W. Thompson (1955-69)
Cryptantha kelseyana H&C
JM = John Maywood.
Cryptantha minima JM
Cynoglossum officinale H&C LK - Linda Kershaw
Echium vulgare H&C
Hackelia deflexa H&C
Hackelia floribunda H&C
Hackelia micrantha H&C
Lappula occidentalis H&C
Lappula squarrosa H&C
Lithospermum incisum H&C
Lithospermum occidentale H&C
Lithospermum ruderale H&C
Mertensia lanceolata JM
Mertensia longiflora H&C
Mertensia paniculata H&C; B&B
Myosotis arvensis H&C
Myosotis asiatica H&C
Myosotis laxa H&C
Myosotis stricta H&C
Nonea vesicaria LK
Plagiobothrys scouleri H&C
Symphytum officinale H&C
9Index Myosotis 4, 7
Amsinckia alpestris. See Myosotis asiatica
menziesii 4 arvensis 7
Anchusa asiatica 7
arvensis 4 laxa 7
Andersonglossum micrantha. See Myosotis stricta
boreale 3 stricta 7
Asperugo Nonea
procumbens 3 vesicaria 4
Boraginaceae 3 Onosmodium
Borago molle. See Lithospermum occidentale
officinalis 3 Plagiobothrys
Cryptantha 5 scouleri 5
celosioides 5 Symphytum
fendleri 5 officinale 4
kelseyana 5
macounii. See Cryptantha celosioides
minima 4, 5
nubigena. See Cryptantha celosioides
Cynoglossum
boreale. See Andersonglossum boreale
officinale 3
virginianum. See Andersonglossum
boreale
Echium
vulgare 3
Hackelia 3, 5
americana. See Hackelia deflexa
deflexa 5
floribunda 5
jessicae. See Hackelia micrantha
micrantha 5
Lappula 3, 6
echinata. See Lappula squarrosa
occidentalis 6
redowskii. See Lappula occidentalis
squarrosa 6
Lithospermum 4, 6
incisum 6
occidentale 6
ruderale 6
Mertensia 4, 6
lanceolata 6
longiflora 6
paniculata 6
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