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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Borago officinalis (Common Borage) |
Borago officinalis (BORAGINACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Borago officinalisL.
Published in Sp. Pl. 137 (1753) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Boraginaceae Juss. (The Borage Family)
16 species from the Boraginaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Common Borage, Common Bugloss, Burrage |
Maltese name(s) : |
Fidloqqom |
Status for Malta : |
Indigenous. Present on the Maltese islands before man |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Therophyte ( annual plants, herbaceous, die after fruiting/seeding stage ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
December – May |
Colour of Flowers: |
Blue |
Toxicity: |
Not particularly toxic |
Name Derivation : |
Borago: ancient name of unknown origin, possibly derived from the Latin word Borra which means rough hair with reference to the stiff hairs the Borago species possess. (Latin origin)
officinalis: Commercially or 'officially' used and sold in shops for medicinal or healing applications. This epithet was given in the past to plants with well-known medicinal properties. (Latin origin)
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Planting in rural areas : |
Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Hispid annual; stems 15-70 cm, erect, robust, often branched. Basal leaves 5-20 cm, ovate to lanceolate, petiolate; upper cauline leaves sessile, amplexicaul. Pedicels 5-30 mm, stout, patent or deflexed after anthesis. Calyx 8-15 mm at anthesis, up to 20 mm in fruit; lobes linear-lanceolate, acute, connivent in fruit. Corolla rotate, bright blue, rarely white; tube very short or almost absent; lobes 8-15 mm, lanceolate, acute. Nutlets 7-10 mm, oblong-obovoid. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Dry waste places esp. close to cultivated areas.
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Cultivated ground, beside field walls, uncropped fields and often along waysides.
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Chromosome number(s) |
2n=16 | |
Distributional range |
S. Europe naturalised or casual further North
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
the Azores, the Balaeric Islands, Corse, Crete, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Greece, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), ex-Jugoslavia, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily and/or Malta, Turkey (European part), Introduced in Austria and Liechtenstein, Britain (excl. Northern Ireland and Channel islands), Czeck Republic and Slovakia, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia and former USSR
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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dAE Ag Al dAz(F J L M P S T) Bl By Ca(C F G H L P T) Co Cr Ct Cy Ga dGg Gr Hs(S) It La Li LS Lt Lu Ma Md(M) Mo Rf(C E K N NW S) Sa Si(M S) Su Tn dTu(A) Tu(E) [Au(A) Br Cs Es Ge Hb(E) He Ho Hu No Po Rm Sk Uk(K)]
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| Links & Further literature
(0 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Online Quotation (Seeds)
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Online Purchase (Images)
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
