# Anchusa > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Anchusa > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Anchusa.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchusa > Source revision: 1354642401 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) For former class of Royal Navy ships, see [*Anchusa*-class sloop](/source/Anchusa-class_sloop). The [genus](/source/Genus) ***Anchusa*** belongs to the borage [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) ([Boraginaceae](/source/Boraginaceae)). It includes about 35 [species](/source/Species)[1] found growing in Europe, North Africa, South Africa and Western Asia. They are [introduced](/source/Introduced_species) in the United States. They consist of [annual plants](/source/Annual_plant), [biennial plants](/source/Biennial_plant) and [perennial plants](/source/Perennial_plant) with the general characteristics of the borage family. They are commonly herbaceous. The [leaves](/source/Leaf) are simple or undulate, covered with stiff hairs. The small radially symmetrical [flowers](/source/Flower) are sapphire blue and retain their colour a long time. The plants show numerous flowers with five [sepals](/source/Sepal), united at their bases, and five [petals](/source/Petal) forming a narrow tube facing upwards. The flowers grow in several axillary [cymes](/source/Inflorescence), simple or branched, or are clustered at the end. The flowers are much frequented by [bees](/source/Bee). The genus *Anchusa* is commonly used in trough or [rock gardens](/source/Rock_garden).[1] The roots of *Anchusa* (just like those of *[Alkanna](/source/Alkanna)* and *[Lithospermum](/source/Lithospermum)*) contain [anchusin](/source/Anchusin) (or alkanet-red), a red-brown [resinoid](/source/Resin) colouring matter. It is insoluble in water, but soluble in [alcohol](/source/Ethanol), [chloroform](/source/Chloroform) and [ether](/source/Diethyl_ether). *Anchusa* species are used as food plants by the [larvae](/source/Larva) of some [Lepidoptera](/source/Lepidoptera) species including *[Coleophora pennella](/source/Coleophora_pennella)*. ## Taxonomy There are four subgenera: *Buglossum*, *Buglossoides*, *Buglossellum* and *Anchusa*. The first two form one subclade, the other two each a separate subclade. The subclade of the subgenus *Anchusa* (containing *Anchusa capensis*) is largely unresolved. If we consider *Anchusa* s.l., then it includes the subgenus *Limbata*, which diverges markedly in its floral morphology. The subgenera *Buglossum*, *Buglossellum* and *Buglossoides* clearly need new independent entities, while the subgenus *Anchusa* needs a narrower concept. This way taxonomy and phylogeny with respect to *Anchusa* can become completely analogous. ## Species 35 species are accepted.[2] - *[Anchusa aegyptiaca](/source/Anchusa_aegyptiaca)* (L.) A.DC. - *[Anchusa affinis](/source/Anchusa_affinis)* R.Br. ex DC. - *[Anchusa arvensis](/source/Anchusa_arvensis)* (L.) M.Bieb. – small bugloss, bugloss, annual bugloss - *[Anchusa atlantica](/source/Anchusa_atlantica)* Ball - *[Anchusa azurea](/source/Anchusa_azurea)* Mill. – Italian bugloss, large blue alkanet - *Anchusa azurea* var. *azurea* - *Anchusa azurea* var. *kurdica* (Guşul.) D.F.Chamb. - *Anchusa azurea* var. *macrocarpa* (Boiss. & Hohen.) D.F.Chamb. - *[Anchusa × baumgartenii](/source/Anchusa_%C3%97_baumgartenii)* (Nyman) Guşul. - *[Anchusa calcarea](/source/Anchusa_calcarea)* Boiss. - *[Anchusa capensis](/source/Anchusa_capensis)* Thunb. – Cape bugloss, Cape forget-me-not - *[Anchusa cespitosa](/source/Anchusa_cespitosa)* Lam. - *[Anchusa cretica](/source/Anchusa_cretica)* Mill. - *[Anchusa crispa](/source/Anchusa_crispa)* Viv. (status vulnerable to endangered in France and Italy) - *[Anchusa × digenea](/source/Anchusa_%C3%97_digenea)* Guşul. - *[Anchusa dinsmorei](/source/Anchusa_dinsmorei)* Rech.f. - *[Anchusa formosa](/source/Anchusa_formosa)* Selvi, Bigazzi & Bacch. – Sardinia - *[Anchusa gmelinii](/source/Anchusa_gmelinii)* Ledeb. - *[Anchusa hybrida](/source/Anchusa_hybrida)* Ten. - *[Anchusa iranica](/source/Anchusa_iranica)* Rech.f. & Esfand. - *[Anchusa konyaensis](/source/Anchusa_konyaensis)* Yıld. - *[Anchusa leptophylla](/source/Anchusa_leptophylla)* Roem. & Schult. - *[Anchusa leucantha](/source/Anchusa_leucantha)* Selvi & Bigazzi – Greece - *[Anchusa milleri](/source/Anchusa_milleri)* Lam. ex Spreng. - *[Anchusa montelinasana](/source/Anchusa_montelinasana)* Angius, Pontec. & Selvi - *[Anchusa ochroleuca](/source/Anchusa_ochroleuca)* M.Bieb. – yellow alkanet - *[Anchusa officinalis](/source/Anchusa_officinalis)* L. – true alkanet, bugloss, common bugloss, corn bugloss, field bugloss (type species) - *Anchusa officinalis* subsp. *intacta* (Griseb.) Selvi & Bigazz - *Anchusa officinalis* subsp. *officinalis* - *[Anchusa ovata](/source/Anchusa_ovata)* Lehm. - *[Anchusa procera](/source/Anchusa_procera)* Besser ex Link - *[Anchusa pseudoochroleuca](/source/Anchusa_pseudoochroleuca)* Des.-Shost. - *[Anchusa puechii](/source/Anchusa_puechii)* Valdés - *[Anchusa pusilla](/source/Anchusa_pusilla)* Gușul. - *[Anchusa riparia](/source/Anchusa_riparia)* A.DC. - *[Anchusa samothracica](/source/Anchusa_samothracica)* Bigazzi & Selvi - *[Anchusa strigosa](/source/Anchusa_strigosa)* Banks & Sol. - *[Anchusa stylosa](/source/Anchusa_stylosa)* M.Bieb. - *Anchusa stylosa* subsp. *spruneri* (Boiss.) Nyman - *Anchusa stylosa* subsp. *stylosa* - *[Anchusa thessala](/source/Anchusa_thessala)* Boiss. & Spruner - *[Anchusa × thirkeana](/source/Anchusa_%C3%97_thirkeana)* Guşul. - *[Anchusa tiberiadis](/source/Anchusa_tiberiadis)* Post - *[Anchusa undulata](/source/Anchusa_undulata)* L. - *Anchusa undulata* subsp. *granatensis* (Boiss.) Valdés - *Anchusa undulata* subsp. *lamprocarpa* Braun-Blanq. & Maire - *Anchusa undulata* subsp. *sartorii* (Heldr. ex Guşul.) Selvi & Bigazzi - *Anchusa undulata* subsp. *undulata* - *[Anchusa variegata](/source/Anchusa_variegata)* (L.) Lehm. ### Formerly placed here - *[Cynoglottis barrelieri](/source/Cynoglottis_barrelieri)* (All.) Vural & Kit Tan (as *Anchusa barrelieri* ([All.](/source/Carlo_Allioni)) [Vitman](/source/Vitman)) – Barrelier's bugloss - *[Gastrocotyle macedonica](/source/Gastrocotyle_macedonica)* (Degen & Dörfl.) Bigazzi, Hilger & Selvi (as *Anchusa macedonica* Degen & Dörfler) - *[Pentaglottis sempervirens](/source/Pentaglottis)* (L.) Tausch ex L.H.Bailey (as *Anchusa sempervirens* L.) – evergreen alkanet - *[Phyllocara aucheri](/source/Phyllocara_aucheri)* (A.DC.) Guşul. (as *Anchusa aucheri* A.DC.) ## References 1. Grey-Wilson, Christopher (2009). *The Rock Garden Plant Primer*. London: Timber Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-88192-928-7. 1. [*Anchusa* L.](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:4451-1) *[Plants of the World Online](/source/Plants_of_the_World_Online)*. Retrieved 23 July 2024. - ["Molecular Systematics of Boraginaceae Tribe Boragineae Based on ITS1 and trnL Sequences, with Special Reference to *Anchusa* s.l.; Hilger et al.". *Annals of Botany*. 2004; 94: 201-212.](https://web.archive.org/web/20051216175826/http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/94/2/201) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Anchusa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchusa) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchusa?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.