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April 2, 2008 : Trachystemon orientalis
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Keywords: Boraginaceae | Trachystemon orientalis (L.) G. Don | 038090-0558-2006
Thank you to UBC Botanical Garden horticulturist Jackie Chambers for today's photographs and write-up, much appreciated!
A fine example of Trachystemon orientalis can be found in the David C. Lam Asian Garden here at UBC. The coarse-textured, heart-shaped leaves are bright green and reach 25-30cm long. However, it is the dainty blue flowers, currently in bloom, that are the most striking feature of this perennial groundcover.
The flowers are held on hairy, purple flower stalks of 15-30cm in height. Flower stalks emerge in early spring (March-April) before the leaves have reached full size. Individual flowers are about 1cm in diameter, and are hermaphroditic - meaning they have both staminate (pollen producing) and carpellate (ovule producing) structures (additional photographs). Stiff hairs and blue flowers are typical features of members of Boraginaceae.
Trachystemon is derived from the Greek trachys, meaning rough, and stemon, a stamen. The species name orientalis means eastern or from the orient, and is a reference to the native distribution of this species. Trachystemon orientalis is endemic to southeastern Europe and western Asia.
In Turkey, the plant is eaten as a vegetable, and has the common name aci hodan. The flowers, stems, young leaves and rhizome may all be cooked and eaten (see the entry on Trachystemon orientalis on Plants for a Future database).
English common names include Abraham-Isaac-Jacob, and Eastern or Oriental borage. Despite being native to Bulgaria, Turkey, and Georgia, Trachystemon orientalis has naturalized throughout the UK. It was first introduced as an ornamental, but records indicate established escapee populations in some areas of England date back to 1868. Here's a more recent distribution map of Trachystemon orientalis populations in the UK.
From a horticulturist perspective, this plant is an extremely useful groundcover; while it prefers partly shaded woodland locations, it can tolerate full sun to shade, and a range of soil conditions. It even performs well in dry shade which is always a challenge for gardeners.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at April 2, 2008 9:30 AM
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Comments
Posted by: Beverley at April 2, 2008 11:19 AM
Why is it called "Abraham-Isaac-Jacob"?
Posted by: Doug at April 2, 2008 12:03 PM
Given how widely Trachystemon orientalis has naturalized in the UK (where the climate is similar to the PNW) I would be wary of recommending this as a garden plant. We already have enough weeds to deal with in our natural areas as it is.
A great native perennial Boraginaceae alternative for similar dry shade habitats is the Pacific hound's tongue, Cynoglossum grande. It occurs from SW Washington, south through Oregon to California. While it is also listed for southern B.C. in many floras, according to the Illustrated Flora of BC there are no herbarium specimens documenting any B.C. populations. Still it is worth looking for native populations in oak woodlands in southwestern B.C., given the number of similar peripheral or disjunct southern taxa that occur in these habitats in B.C. There is a nice feature article on this species at http://www.ventanawild.org/news/fe01/houndst.html
Posted by: Ed Alverson at April 2, 2008 5:14 PM
Lovely plant but I'd worry about the invasive tendencies......
Posted by: Eva at April 2, 2008 6:21 PM
Wonderful Photographs. The colous, especially blues which don't always come true to colour are just great. To see them at the base of the tree gives me an idea of size.
Thank you,
Margaret-Rae
Posted by: Margaret-Rae Davis at April 7, 2008 8:27 PM
Please share your comments about the photograph(s) and accompanying write-up. Telling a story about the subject of the photograph(s) is also much appreciated! If you have a gardening question, the best place to ask is on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums. Thank you!
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Botany Photo of the Day is a project of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, located in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. UBC BGCPR is a department of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems within The University of British Columbia.
Trachystemon orientalis - Z6 - RHS Index of Garden Plants, Griffiths