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Anchusa capensis
Close-up of flowers with bee for scale
At the University of California Botanical Garden
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Boraginales
Family:	Boraginaceae
Genus:	Anchusa
Species:	A. capensis
Binomial name
Anchusa capensis Thunb.

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.

In the US, it grows well in zones 8–11. Cultivars include 'Dawn', with white, pink, mauve and blue flowers, 'Blue Angel', with dark blue flowers, and 'Blue Bird', taller and with indigo blue flowers.

Common Names

• Bugloss
• Cape Forget-Me Not
• Summer Forget-Me Not
• Vergeet-My-Nietjie
• Ystergras
• Koringblom
• Ossetongblaar (Afr.)
• Petlekheme (Sesotho)
• Alkanet

• Inflorescence
• Extreme close-up of flower
• At the San Francisco Botanical Garden
• From Miss C.H. Lippincott seed catalog, 1894

References

1. "Anchusa capensis Thunb". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
2. "Anchusa capensis Cape forget-me-not". The Royal Horticultural Society. 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
3. "Anchusa capensis (Bugloss, Cape Forget-Me Not, Summer Forget-Me Not) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox". plants.ces.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
4. "Anchusa capensis". Useful Tropical Plants. Archived from the original on 2020-06-28. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
5. "Anchusa capensis (Bugloss, Cape Forget-Me Not, Summer Forget-Me Not) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox". plants.ces.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
6. "Cape Forget-Me-Not (Anchusa capensis) - Plants | Candide Gardening". Candide. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
7. Hessayon, D. G. (1999). The New Flower Expert. Expert Books. p. 20. ISBN 9780903505529.
8. "Cape-Forget-Me-Not (Anchusa capensis) - Plants". Candide. Retrieved 2022-05-25.

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• Anchusa
• Garden plants of Africa
• Flora of Namibia
• Flora of South Africa
• Flora of Lesotho
• Plants described in 1794
• Boraginoideae stubs