C. Wood Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica)

The sky-blue flowers appear in April. There are native and cultivated forms of this plant.

Forget-me-nots were worn by lovers in France (ne m'oubliez pas) to ensure that they would not forget each other if parted.

Syrups made from forget-me-nots are traditionally given for lung complaints.

The Cemetery has two types of Forget-me-nots, and we know this from surveys conducted by a botanist. There is this one, the Wood Forget-me-not, and another, the Field Forget-me-not. To the inexperienced eye, it can be difficult to tell them apart. The problem is compounded by the fact that there are perhaps a dozen different forget-me-nots in Britain (although the alpine and water versions can easily be discounted from the Cemetery), and of these there are cultivars and hybrids.

In simple terms, the Wood Forget-me-not has bright sky-blue flowers that are usually 6 - 10mm across. These are carried on much-branched stems that can rise to 45cms. They flower slightly later than the Field Forget-me-nots, from May to June. In contrast, the Field Forget-me-not has smaller, bright blue-grey flowers that are usually 3 - 5mm across. These are carried on stems that branch mainly at the base that can rise to 30cms. Field Forget-me-nots can flower from March to September.

In our experience, the important differences between the two species are the stem-branching characteristics, the height and the flowering season. Differences in colour are very difficult to use as a diagnostic feature!