English: Creeping navelwort; Blue-eyed-Mary.
Name: Omphalodes derives from the Greek word omphalòs, meaning navel, verna from the Latin vernus, refers to the early blooming flowers.
Region: Central and south-eastern Europe; Quebec.
Habitat: in the shade of trees, in fresh mountain forests, especially beech; wastelands and scrublands; prefers sandy or clay loam and moist soils in shady places; from sea level to 1300 metres.
Use: ornamental.
BotanyHerb; perennial; rhizomatous; 20 to 30 cm tall; spreads quickly, invasive.
Stem: creeps across the ground; overwintering buds just below the soil.
Leaves: grooved; semi-evergreen and medium green; 30 mm long, 20 mm wide; veiny; with fine hairs; oval to heart shaped, pointed at the tip.
Flowers: hermaphrodite; small; petiolated; light blue, with white or yellow star-shaped centers; corolla wheel-shaped, fused, five-lobed; 7 to 15 mm; blooming from March through May.
Fruit: mericarps; hairy; navel-shaped; 2 mm long.