보리지-[정명] Borago officinalis L.

과명	Boraginaceae (지치과)	속명	Borago (보라고속)
전체학명	[정명] Borago officinalis L.	추천명	보리지
이명		외국명	Cool-tankard,Talewort,Tailwort,Borage

This article is about common species Borago officinalis. For related plants sometimes called borage, see Borago

Borage (/ˈbʌrɪdʒ/ (listen) or /ˈbɒrɪdʒ/; Borago officinalis), also known as starflower, is an annual herb in the flowering plant family Boraginaceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region, and has naturalized in many other locales.

It grows satisfactorily in gardens in most of Europe, such as Denmark, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, remaining in the garden from year to year by self-seeding. The leaves are edible and the plant is grown in gardens for that purpose in some parts of Europe.

The plant is also commercially cultivated for borage seed oil extracted from its seeds.

The plant contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, some of which are hepatotoxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic (see below under Phytochemistry).

B. officinalis grows to a height of 60–100 cm (2 ft 0 in – 3 ft 3 in), and is bristly or hairy all over the stems and leaves; the leaves are alternate, simple, and 5–15 cm (2–6 in) long.

The flowers are complete, perfect with five narrow, triangular-pointed petals. Flowers are most often blue, although pink flowers are sometimes observed. White-flowered types are also cultivated. The blue flower is genetically dominant over the white flower.

The flowers arise along scorpioid cymes to form large floral displays with multiple flowers blooming simultaneously, suggesting that borage has a high degree of geitonogamy (intraplant pollination).

It has an indeterminate growth habit, which may lead to prolific spreading. In temperate climates such as in the UK, its flowering season is relatively long, from June to September. In milder climates, borage blooms continuously for most of the year.

Borage - Wikipedia