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About
Forget-me-nots
Forget-me-nots in the
language of flowers mean true love. They are the state flower of
Alaska and they are the symbol for Grandparents Day. These
beautiful little flowers are the in the genus Myosotis of flowering
plants in the family Boraginaceae.
There are about 50 species in this genus, and among them there is
considerable variation. Most are a small (1 cm. diameter) flat
5-petaled blue flowers growing profusely on straggly stems, flowering
in the spring. Color variation is not unusual within species, and white
or pink forms are likely to be seen.
Forget-me-nots can be annual or perennial plants. They are widely
distributed, through one or two European species, especially the Wood
Forget-me-not, Myosotis sylvatica.
Where did the name "Forget-me-not" come from?
The name was borrowed from the Old French "ne m'oubliez mye" which was
translated from the German "Vergissmeinnicht". Similar translations of
it can be found in most European languages, like the Swedish
"forgtmigej", Romanian "nu mă uita", Hungarian "nefelejcs", Czech
"pomnenka", Slovak "nezabudka", Polish "niezapominajka", Italian
"nontiscordardim", Spanish "nomeolvides", etc.
In 15th century Germany, it was believed that the wearers of the flower would not be forgotten by their loves.
A medieval legend tells of a knight and his lady that were walking
along the side of a river. He picked a posy of flowers for her, but due
to the weight of his armor he fell into the river. As he was drowning
he threw the posy to his loved one and shouted "forget-me-not".
This article was derived using information from Wikipedia.
The information is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
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