Borage

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Borage, common name for a large, widely distributed family of flowering plants (see Mint), and for its representative genus. The family contains about 154 genera and 2500 species, found throughout the temperate and subtropical regions of the world but centered in the Mediterranean area. Plants vary widely in habit from annuals to perennials and from herbs to shrubs to trees. They usually have rough hairs on the stems and leaves. The inflorescence (flower cluster) is characteristic of the family. It is spirally coiled and unrolls and straightens from the base as the flowers open. The insect-pollinated flowers are regular (radially symmetrical) with five-lobed corollas (fused petals) that are funnel-shaped or bell-shaped. The ovary is deeply lobed and matures into a fruit consisting of four nutlets. In addition to horticultural subjects, the family provides timber, dyes, and medicinal plants. One species of borage, native to Europe and North Africa, has been used as a culinary herb since the Middle Ages. It is a grayish-green, hairy annual about 60 cm (about 24 in) high, now mostly grown for its attractive little blue, white-centered flowers. Virginia bluebell, heliotrope, and forget-me-not are also members of this family.

Scientific classification: Borage is the common name for the family Boraginaceae. The species used as a culinary herb is classified as Borago officinalis.

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