Unknown from French Pyrenees

[Lori S.]

This plant is driving me crazy!      http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=10256169

Some sort of Gentian relative?  Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

Thanks,
Lori

[Philippe]

Hi Lori

This very looks like Buglossoides gastonii?

PS: which however is obviously not a good guess.

Have a look on this page, there are other SWern France Borago family members which could also match the picture:
http://yves000.free.fr/pages/l-o/lithospermum.htm

[Lori S.]

Hi, Philippe,
Thank you for the suggestion and the reference.
The structure of the center of the flower seems to be wrong for Boraginaceae... ?  (I had also come across Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum but discarded it for that reason.)   The leaves seem to be opposite.

I'll search through other possibilities on the site you provided.  Thanks!

[Gabriela]

Lori - I am with Philippe about this one. That's precisely the flower that makes it a Boraginaceae.

There are many other species in the trio - Buglossoides-Lithospermum-Aegonychon that you can look for. Plus other genera...
The plant on the left with opposite leaves seems to be something else.

[Philippe]

Hi, Philippe,
Thank you for the suggestion and the reference.
The structure of the center of the flower seems to be wrong for Boraginaceae... ?  (I had also come across Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum but discarded it for that reason.)   The leaves seem to be opposite.

I'll search through other possibilities on the site you provided.  Thanks!

Yes, reason why I took back my first guess with Buglossoides. The long style doesn't match with it it seems. On the other way, that feature can fit at least with some other Boraginaceaes: on the link I gave this morning, one can see a long style on this Glandora prostrata, so it is possible for Boragos :



Daniela's right, the plant on the left might be something else, even if it looks like your flowering plant Lori. Quite disturbing in fact, then it looks like Gentianaceae.

Back to our mysterious plant, I found that too:



Simply a Pulmonaria, with long style and gentian like flowers.
I guess that genera would be better? Just have to find now the species...

[Lori S.]

The plant on the left with opposite leaves seems to be something else.

The inflorescence seems to be coming from a stem with the same leaves as the budded, opposite-leaved stalk on the left.

[Philippe]

Really not sure Lori! Blue Boraginaceae are very often more or less hairy plants and if you look close in the flowering plant, you'll see some little pieces of reddish hairy glandulous calyx between the petals.
That feature misses completely in that seemingly hairless stem ( and leaves) on the left ( which could be some species of Centaurium).

[Gail]

Always difficult from a photo but Pulmonaria australis would be my guess;

http://www.ukwildflowers.com/Web_pages/pulmonaria_australis_narrow_leaved_lungwort.htm

[Lori S.]

[quote author=Philippe link=topic=14801.msg365081#msg365081 date=1475820650

Have a look on this page, there are other SWern France Borago family members which could also match the picture:
http://yves000.free.fr/pages/l-o/lithospermum.htm
[/quote]

Just as an aside, the photos for Lithospermum officinale that show a blue-flowered plant seem to be misidentified; flower colour (and form) and leaves apear to be wrong.

[Lori S.]

Always difficult from a photo but Pulmonaria australis would be my guess;

http://www.ukwildflowers.com/Web_pages/pulmonaria_australis_narrow_leaved_lungwort.htm

That does seem to be about the closest.  I guess I will conclude that my impression of opposite leaves is mistaken.
Thank you very much, Gail, Philippe and Gabriela.