evergreen alkanet

plant

Also known as: Pentaglottis sempervirens

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 26, 2026

Quick Summary

Evergreen alkanet, also known as evergreen bugloss (Pentaglottis sempervirens), is a plant belonging to the family Boraginaceae. It is characterized by oval, pointed evergreen leaves and white-eyed blue flowers, reaching up to 1 meter (3.3 feet) in height. This species, along with other alkanets from the genus Anchusa, bears blue, purple, or white flowers that resemble forget-me-nots.1

True alkanet (Anchusa officinalis) and large blue alkanet (Anchusa azurea) are also notable species. The closely related Alkanna tinctoria is known as dyer's alkanet, and its roots produce a red dye used for coloring various materials. Alkanets are native to the Mediterranean region and are found in fields and waste spaces in Europe, with some species naturalized in North America.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

alkanet
…white-eyed blue flowers characterize the evergreen alkanet, or evergreen bugloss (Pentaglottis sempervirens), which reaches 1 metre (3.3 feet). All three species grow in fields and roadside waste spaces in Europe, and true alkanet has become naturalized in some areas of eastern North America.
Read More
…white-eyed blue flowers characterize the evergreen alkanet, or evergreen bugloss (Pentaglottis sempervirens), which reaches 1 metre (3.3 feet). All three species grow in fields and roadside waste spaces in Europe, and true alkanet has become naturalized in some areas of eastern North America.
Read More