Annuals Dictionary: Omphalodes
Borage family
Boraginaceae
Om-fa-lo’dez. Low herbs, comprising about 25 species, closely allied to Cynoglossum, which they resemble. Europe and Asia.
Description
Stems smooth or slightly hairy. Leaves basal, long-stalked, lance- or heart-shaped, the stem leaves smaller, fewer, and alternate. Flowers blue, sometimes pinkish, arranged in loose 1-sided racemes. Calyx joined halfway down. Corolla united to form a short tube, usually white with veinlike markings radiating from the center, giving it a starlike appearance. Stamens 5, not protruding.
How to Grow
Sow in moist garden soil (neutral or slightly alkaline) in partial shade. Seeds sown in spring will flower that season; those sown in fall in mild climates will flower in early spring. Prefers cool weather.
Omphalodes linifolia
Navelwort . To 1 ft. (30 cm) high. Flowers white, in. (13 mm) wide, the corolla tube twice as long as the calyx. Spain and Portugal. Hardy annual.