borage

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• borage
• borage
• beebread
• beeplant
• starflower
• talewort
• Boražina

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Borago officinalis var. saxicola
• Borago officinalis var. stenopetala
• Borago hortensis
• Borago officinalis var. coerulea
• Borago officinalis var. lilacina
• Borago officinalis var. alba
• Borago officinalis var. variegata

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified under the phylum Streptophyta and the class Equisetopsida. Within the subclass Magnoliidae, it is organized into the order Boraginales and the family Boraginaceae. Finally, its specific taxonomic placement is defined by the genus Borago.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a diverse range of habitats across several different regions of Europe. In Northern Europe, its presence is well-documented in both Great Britain and Ireland. Moving toward Middle Europe, the species can be found growing in the landscapes of Austria and Belgium. Additionally, its distribution extends further east into the territories of Czechia and Slovakia. Consequently, these various locations highlight the widespread geographical reach of Borago officinalis.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Borago officinalis is characterized by its adaptability to various altitudinal gradients, ranging from sea level (0 m AMSL) to a maximum elevation of 3600 m AMSL, with a mean elevational range centered around 1650 m AMSL. It is frequently found in lowland habitats, where it can thrive in diverse environmental conditions. Regarding its symbiotic relationships, this species does not form mycorrhizal associations, meaning it lacks the specialized fungal symbiosis typically utilized by many other plant species for nutrient uptake.

Elevational range max:

3600 m AMSL

Elevational range mean:

1650 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Habitat :

Lowland

Mycorrhiza :

no

Life history

The life history of Borago officinalis is characterized by its status as an annual plant, completing its entire reproductive cycle within a single growing season. As a therophyte, it survives the unfavorable periods through the production of seeds rather than maintaining persistent vegetative structures above ground. The plant exhibits a deciduous nature, shedding its foliage as it completes its seasonal growth phase. This life strategy allows the species to rapidly colonize disturbed soils and open habitats, utilizing its brief lifecycle to maximize seed production before the onset of environmental stressors.

Deciduousness :

deciduous

Life form :

therophyte

Lifecycle :

annual

Morphology

The morphology of Borago officinalis is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb, specifically classified as a forb. This self-supporting, independent plant typically exhibits an erect shoot orientation and is strictly terrestrial in its habitat, lacking any aquatic, semiaquatic, or epiphytic tendencies. In terms of stature, the plant maintains a relatively modest height, with a minimum recorded height of 0.15 m, a mean height of 0.31 m, and a maximum height reaching up to 1 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Growth form :

forb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

1 m

Plant height mean:

0.31 m

Plant height min:

0.15 m

Shoot orientation :

erect

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Borago officinalis is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which dictates its carbon fixation processes and environmental adaptations. The plant exhibits a non-carnivorous nutritional strategy and does not function as a nitrogen fixer, relying instead on soil nutrient availability. Its vegetative morphology is defined by an alternate leaf arrangement, featuring leaves that vary significantly in dimensions; individual leaf lengths range from a minimum of 4 cm to a maximum of 30 cm, while leaf widths fluctuate between 2 cm and 10 cm, resulting in a mean leaf width of 20 cm. The foliage typically presents an elliptic form with a mean leaf size of 39.46 cm². Furthermore, the plant demonstrates a mean Specific Leaf Area (SLA) of 237.45 cm²/g, reflecting its leaf mass per area and its strategy for optimizing light interception and gas exchange.

Carnivory :

non-carnivorous

Leaf arrangement :

alternate

Leaf form :

elliptic

Leaf length max:

30 cm

Leaf length min:

4 cm

Leaf size mean:

39.46 cm²

Leaf width max:

10 cm

Leaf width mean:

20 cm

Leaf width min:

2 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Specific Leaf Area (SLA) mean:

237.45 cm²/g

Reproduction

The reproduction of Borago officinalis is characterized by a sexual process through bisexual flowers, with asexual reproduction being absent. The flowering period typically begins in June and concludes in July, featuring blue flowers that range in width from a minimum of 2.5 cm to a maximum of 3 cm. The plant relies on biotic pollination, specifically utilizing an insect syndrome where bees play a primary role. Notably, self-fertilization is absent, necessitating these pollinators for successful reproduction. Following fertilization, the plant produces indehiscent fruits categorized as achenes. These fruits are relatively small, with a length between 0.4 cm and 0.5 cm and a width ranging from 0.25 cm to 0.3 cm. Each fruit is prolific, containing between 101 and 1000 seeds. The seeds themselves are uniform in length at approximately 6 mm, with a mean mass of 0.016575111 g (ranging from a minimum of 0.01218 g to a maximum of 0.021 g). Dispersal of the seeds follows an unspecialized syndrome, though it also exhibits anthropochorous traits, suggesting involvement in human-mediated movement.

Dehiscence :

indehiscent

Dispersal syndrome :

unspecialized

Dispersal syndrome :

anthropochorous

Flower colour :

blue

Flower width max:

3 cm

Flower width min:

2.5 cm

Flowering time :

Jun

Flowering time :

Jul

Fruit length max:

0.5 cm

Fruit length min:

0.4 cm

Fruit type :

achene

Fruit width max:

0.3 cm

Fruit width min:

0.25 cm

Pollination syndrome :

insect

Pollination syndrome :

bee

Pollination syndrome :

biotic

Reproduction asexual :

absent

Reproduction sexual :

bisexual

Seed length mean:

6 mm

Seed mass max:

0.021 g

Seed mass mean:

0.016575111 g

Seed mass min:

0.01218 g

Seeds_per_fruit :

101-1000

Self fertilization :

absent

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Borago officinalis has 2 reported plant parts identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include seed, leaf.

Seed

1. Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine
2. Phytochemistry
3. Biomedical & environmental mass spectrometry
4. Journal of mass spectrometry : JMS

Leaf

1. Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences

Chemicals

Borago officinalis has 89 reported phytochemicals identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include gamma-Linolenic acid, Flavonoids, linoleic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid.

gamma-Linolenic acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine
3. Journal of chromatographic science
4. Phytotherapy research : PTR

Flavonoids

1. Scientific reports
2. Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences

linoleic acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine

oleic acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine

palmitic acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine

stearic acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine

(-)-bornesitol

1. Dr. Duke

7-acetyl-intermedine

1. Dr. Duke

Acetylintermedine

1. Dr. Duke

Acetyllycopsamine

1. Dr. Duke

Activities

Borago officinalis has 505 reported activities identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antiinflammatory, 11B-HSD-Inhibitor, 5-Alpha-Reductase-Inhibitor, 5-Lipoxygenase-Inhibitor, ABeta-Inhibitor.

Antiinflammatory

1. Dr. Duke
2. Recent patents on inflammation & allergy drug discovery

11B-HSD-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

5-Alpha-Reductase-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

5-Lipoxygenase-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

ABeta-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

ACE-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

ATPase-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

Acetylcholinergic

1. Dr. Duke

Acidulant

1. Dr. Duke

Adenylate-Cyclase-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

Conditions

Borago officinalis has 15 reported investigations on conditions identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include inflammation, Depression, Helicobacter pylori, acute respiratory distress syndrome, anxiety.

Inflammation

1. Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France)
2. Advances in pharmacological sciences

Depression

1. International journal of molecular sciences

Helicobacter pylori

1. World journal of gastroenterology

Acute respiratory distress syndrome

1. Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France)

Anxiety

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Arthritis

1. Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine

Blood sugar

1. Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France)

Chlorosis

1. Plant disease

Depression

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Drought

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Preparations

Borago officinalis has 5 reported preparations identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include seed oil, borage oil, borage seed oil, ethanolic extract of aerial parts, plant extract.

Seed oil

1. Biomedical & environmental mass spectrometry
2. Journal of mass spectrometry : JMS

Borage oil

1. Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France)

Borage seed oil

1. Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine

Ethanolic extract of aerial parts

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Plant extract

1. Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences