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Anchusa capensis
Also called Cape-forget-me-not, Cape Alkanet, Annual Anchusa, Summer Forget Me Not, Forget Me Not, Forget Met Not
Cape bugloss is a short-lived annual or biennial with bright cobalt blue, forget-me-not style flowers, native to southern Africa. It grows best in full sun and well-drained soil.
Anchusa capensis, is a species of flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae, native to Namibia, South Africa and Lesotho. The genus Anchusa is from the Greek word anchousa, which makes reference to its use as a dye base for cosmetic paint obtained from the roots of another plant in the genus Anchusa tinctoria. The species capensis translates to 'from the Cape' referring to South Africa
A. capensis typically reaches about 60 cm (24 in) tall, and grows best in full sun. In summer, red buds open to reveal small, bright cobalt blue flowers with five petals and five white scales protecting the stigma and anthers.
Italian bugloss · Common bugloss · Anchusa strigosa · Bugloss
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Anchusa capensis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
