States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaFloridaVirginia
Menu

True Forget-me-not

Myosotis scorpioides

Found in wet meadows, streambanks. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

—
Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height
6 inches–1 foot
Spread
9 inches–1 foot
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Moist to standing water
See native alternatives

Plant this instead

Choose your county to list local plants first.

  • Narrowleaf Sundrops
    Oenothera fruticosa

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow.

    Similar growth form, evergreen or deciduous

  • Common Rockcap Fern
    Polypodium virginianum

    Sun: Deep shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Not applicable.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

  • Walking Fern
    Asplenium rhizophyllum

    Sun: Partial shade. Soil: Usually moist. Flowers: Not applicable.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

Refine these alternatives in the finder

Check a whole list of plants

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Evergreen
Bloom
May to August
Fruiting season
Spring to summer

Recorded in 26 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Streams, rivers and their banks

Watauga Falls
Named place / source context. Shown: Watauga Falls, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Watauga Falls, Illustrator/engraver not confidently attributed; reproduced in Zeigler and Grosscup, The Heart of the Alleghanies (1883), 1883. Public domain. Source record.

Wet meadows

Open, wet, grassy or sedgy ground that is not a bog.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

3CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Myosotis

  • Vanessa virginiensisAmerican Lady, American Painted Lady
  • Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
  • Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Myosotis

  • Ammospiza leconteiiLeConte's Sparrow
  • Leucosticte atrataBlack Rosy-Finch
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Boraginaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Blue or white
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Spring
Fruit ends
Summer

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

True Forget Me Not

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNA
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources