Kay's Flower Fotos

Western Houndstongue or Pacific Houndstongue ?


I discovered this pretty flowered plant while just walkng aound our street in a wooded area, growing wild. It was so lovely I had to run get my camera and take pictures of it and then research it.


(named for the shape of its leaves)
the Western or Pacific hound's tongue, also called borage, is a flowering plant in the genus Cynoglossum or is it Adelinia grande? I am confused about this myself as there are several different websites with information on this and seem to conflict with each other. One of the federal websites say it is poisonous and also a weed to get rid of. However another said the natives used the roots to make some medicines from it. ???? "It is common in shady areas in California. The name hound's tongue comes from the shape of the leaves and the fact that they're bronze colored when they first start to unfurl. The blue-and-white flowers, first pinkish-purple when they're budding, are only 1/2 inch in diameter and grow on a central stem up to 3 feet tall. These are one of the first wildflowers to bloom in California and can produce flowers from March to June. The hound's tongue ranges from southern California to western Washington." (Wikipedia)

photographed in Josephine County, southern Oregon by Kay Ekwall.