Chatham Island Forget-Me-Not Flowers & Leaves on White Cocktail Napkins bypennyroyal

The threatened Chatham Island forget-me-not, a much loved, stunning garden plant, grows naturally on the Chatham Islands - on coastal cliffs, rock outcrops and sandy and rocky beaches. Coastal development has recently destroyed the only known wild population of white-flowered plants. Chatham Island forget-me-not (Myosotidium hortensia) can form clumps over a metre in diameter. Stems bearing huge glossy leaves branch from a stout, cylindrical rootstock. The pale blue, rarely white, flowers occur mainly from September to October. Separate male and female flowers are found on the same plant. The seeds develop in dark, leathery capsules and are like those of sunflowers. They ripen from October to April.