Family Boraginaceae
Synonyms: Codonaceae APNI*
Cordiaceae APNI*
Ehretiaceae APNI*
Heliotropiaceae APNI*
Hydrophyllaceae APNI*
Lennoaceae APNI*
Namaceae APNI*
Wellstediaceae APNI*
Description: Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, shrubs or trees; all parts usually with stiff, tubercle-based hairs.
Leaves usually alternate with a basal rosette present in some annual or biennial species, sometimes opposite, simple or pinnately or palmately compound, margin entire to dissected; stipules absent.
Inflorescence terminal or axillary, paniculate (Ehretia) or monochasial cymes that unroll as they expand ('scorpioid' cymes, a 1-sided coiled inflorescence), sometimes solitary flowers; bracts usually present. Flowers actinomorphic or sometimes zygomorphic, bisexual, 4–6-merous. Sepals usually 5, free or fused at the base. Corolla tubular to rotate, often campanulate, usually 5-lobed. Stamens epipetalous, as many as the corolla lobes and alternating with them. Ovary superior, 2-locular but becoming 4-locular at maturity, 1-locular or incompletely 2-locular; style simple or branched, terminal or gynobasic, sometimes 2 distinct styles or 1 that is cleft or 2-branched at the apex.
Fruit drupaceous, a capsule, or a schizocarp that splits into four 1-seeded mericarps (nutlets) attached to the enlarged structure formed from the fused receptacle and ovary tissues ('gynobase') leaving a scar on their inner or basal surfaces; mericarps smooth or variously ornamented.
Distribution and occurrence: World: c. 128 genera, c. 3026 species, cosmopolitan. Australia: c. 20 genera, all States.
External links:
Angiosperm Phylogeny Website (Family: Boraginaceae, Order: unplaced asterid I)
Wikipedia The family includes a number of plants of economic importance, including species of Cordia (timber), Alkanna (dye), the herbs Borage (Borago) and Comfrey (Symphytum), and some species of Echium, Heliotropium and Myosotis as garden ornamentals. Boraginaceae is treated here in the broader sense. Ehretiaceae, Heliotropiaceae and Hydrophyllaceae are sometimes recognised as separate families.
Text by (based on) Peter G. Wilson, Boraginaceae, and S.M. Hastings, Hydrophyllaceae, in Flora of New South Wales Vol. 3 (1992); revised May 2017 (PGK)
Taxon concept:
Taxa not yet included in identification key
Symphytum
| | Key to the genera | |
| 1 | Leaves (of taxon occurring in N.S.W.) pinnately compound or pinnatisect; ovary 1- or 2-locular | Phacelia |
| Leaves not pinnately compound or pinnatisect; ovary 2-locular but becoming 4-locular at maturity | 2 |
| 2 | Corolla actinomorphic | 3 |
| Corolla zygomorphic
Back to 1 | 16 |
| 3 | Tall shrub (more than 2 m high) or tree | Ehretia |
| Small shrub (less than 2 m high) or herb
Back to 2 | 4 |
| 4 | Anthers exserted, appressed to the style; anther appendages present (rarely very short) | 5 |
| Anthers included (if exserted not appressed to the style); anther appendages absent
Back to 3 | 7 |
| 5 | Anthers and appendages straight | 6 |
| Anther appendages twisted
Back to 4 | Trichodesma |
| 6 | Scabrous or viscid shrub; ovary entire | Halgania |
| Hispid herb; ovary lobed
Back to 5 | Borago |
| 7 | Ovary 4-lobed; stigma small, capitate or shortly 2-lobed | 8 |
| Ovary entire; stigma large, more or less conical
Back to 4 | Heliotropium |
| 8 | Mericarps bearing barbed spines | 9 |
| Mericarps smooth or wrinkled
Back to 7 | 11 |
| 9 | Spines numerous, more or less equal in size, occurring on the margins and outer face of the mericarp | 10 |
| Spines few (8–10), varying in size, restricted to the margins of the mericarps
Back to 8 | Omphalolappula |
| 10 | Mericarps with glochids concentrated into a marginal ring, outer surface of mericarpid with a few scattered or discontinuously distributed glochids | Cynoglossum |
| Mericarps with numerous glochids closely spaced and continuously distributed across out surface
Back to 9 | Hackelia |
| 11 | Gynobase conical | 12 |
| Gynobase flat
Back to 8 | 13 |
| 12 | Inflorescence bracteate; flowers white | Plagiobothrys |
| Inflorescence lacking bracts; flowers yellow
Back to 11 | Amsinckia |
| 13 | Corolla with scales in the throat | 14 |
| Corolla without scales
Back to 11 | 15 |
| 14 | Mericarps smooth and shiny | Myosotis |
| Mericarps wrinkled
Back to 13 | Anchusa |
| 15 | Mericarps smooth on outer face; flowers yellow | Neatostema |
| Mericarps tuberculate all over; flowers white
Back to 13 | Buglossoides |
| 16 | Stamens included in corolla | Anchusa |
| At least 2 stamens exserted from corolla
Back to 2 | Echium |
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