Cobble Forget-me-not vs Common Forget-Me-Not

Myosotis schistosa compared with Myosotis arvensis

Key Differences

• Cobble Forget-me-not is Data Deficient while Common Forget-Me-Not is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cobble Forget-me-not	Common Forget-Me-Not
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order same	Boraginales (Boraginales)	Boraginales (Boraginales)
Family same	Boraginaceae	Boraginaceae
Genus same	Myosotis	Myosotis
Species	Myosotis schistosa	Myosotis arvensis

Evolutionary Relationship

Cobble Forget-me-not and Common Forget-Me-Not share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Myosotis.

Conservation Status

Cobble Forget-me-not

DD — Data Deficient

Common Forget-Me-Not

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cobble Forget-me-not	Common Forget-Me-Not
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cobble Forget-me-not

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Common Forget-Me-Not

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (Japan, Taiwan), Europe (18 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Chile, Peru).

Cobble Forget-me-not

Cobble forget-me-not (Myosotis schistosa) is a small annual or biennial herb in the family Boraginaceae, native to riverine and coastal habitats in parts of Europe, particularly associated with slate, shale, or schist substrates and disturbed gravelly or rocky ground. Like other Myosotis species, it bears the typical small, five-petalled blue flowers with a yellow eye that give forget-me-nots their widespread recognition. The genus Myosotis encompasses dozens of species distributed across Europe, Asia, North America, and the Southern Hemisphere, many of which are adapted to specific, often nutrient-poor or geologically specialised substrates. Cobble forget-me-not is assessed as Data Deficient by the IUCN, reflecting limited information on its distribution, population size, and ecology. Botanical surveys in appropriate habitats across its inferred range—particularly slate-rich riverbanks and coastal cobble in Europe—are needed to clarify its taxonomy, distribution, and conservation requirements. Like many small annual herbs in disturbed habitats, it may be locally common in suitable microsites but easily overlooked due to its small size and annual habit.

Common Forget-Me-Not

<em>Myosotis arvensis</em> is an annual or biennial herbaceous plant in the family Boraginaceae, order Boraginales, commonly known as the field forget-me-not or common forget-me-not. The species is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with widespread stable populations. <em>Myosotis arvensis</em> has a cosmopolitan distribution, recorded across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America, where it has been widely naturalized beyond its native European and West Asian range. The plant typically grows in disturbed habitats including arable fields, roadsides, gardens, hedgerows, and open woodland, tolerating a broad range of soil types. It produces characteristic small, sky-blue five-petaled flowers with a yellow center, borne on curved, scorpioid cymes that straighten as the flowers open — a feature typical of the borage family. The plant typically reaches 15 to 40 centimeters in height and is covered in soft, spreading hairs. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.