Borage (Borago officinalis): colours, meaning, where it grows and when it blooms

Borage is an annual herb with star-shaped blue, pink, or white flowers and hairy leaves. Native to the Mediterranean, it is grown in gardens across Europe and valued for its edible leaves, decorative flowers, and oil-rich seeds. Its cucumber-flavoured leaves and sweet flowers are used in salads, drinks, and traditional dishes.

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Borage flowers are usually blue but can also be pink or white.
Its leaves and flowers are edible and taste like cucumber.
Borage seed oil is a rich source of gamma-linolenic acid.
The plant self-seeds and can persist in gardens year after year.
Borage has a history of use in European and Mediterranean cuisine.

What does Borage look like?

Borage is a bristly, upright herb that grows up to 60 cm tall. Its leaves are rough and hairy, 5–15 cm long, and arranged alternately along the stems. The plant produces many star-shaped flowers, most often blue, but sometimes pink or white. Each flower has five narrow, pointed petals and grows in loose, curling clusters. The flowers are attractive to bees and produce abundant nectar.

Where does Borage come from?

Borage comes from the Mediterranean region, where it grows wild. Over time, it has spread and become naturalized in gardens throughout much of Europe, including countries like Germany, France, the UK, and Italy. Though it is an annual, it often persists in gardens by self-seeding. Its name and use have been recorded since ancient times, with mentions by writers such as Pliny the Elder and Dioscorides.

When and how Borage blooms

Borage flowers in summer, especially from June to September in temperate climates. In milder regions, it may bloom for most of the year. It grows easily from seed and can become invasive due to its tendency to self-seed. The plant prefers open, sunny spots and is often grown in gardens for its flowers and edible leaves.

A high resolution image of Borage stem with leaves and flowers. Photo: Osnat Ravid Amir, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How Borage is used

Borage leaves, with a cucumber-like taste, are used fresh in salads or as a garnish, and the sweet flowers decorate desserts and drinks. In Germany and parts of Spain and Italy, borage is cooked in soups or used to fill ravioli. The flowers are sometimes frozen in ice cubes or used in cocktails. Borage seed oil is valued for its high gamma-linolenic acid content. The plant is also used in companion planting.

Kinds of Borage

Most borage plants have blue flowers, but pink and white forms are also found and sometimes cultivated. The blue-flowered type is genetically dominant. In different regions, borage is used in local dishes, such as Frankfurt's green sauce in Germany or ravioli fillings in Liguria, Italy.

What Borage means

Borage has long been linked with cheerfulness and comfort. Ancient writers believed it could drive away sadness, and it was used in wine and syrups to lift the spirits. In literature and herbal traditions, it is said to bring joy. Today, it is also valued for its role in supporting pollinators and as a companion plant in gardens. Some parts contain toxic alkaloids, so caution is advised.

Questions people ask about Borage

Where does borage come from?

Borage is native to the Mediterranean region but is now grown and naturalized in many parts of Europe, including Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Poland, and Russia.

What does borage look like?

Borage is a bristly herb with rough, hairy leaves and star-shaped flowers. The flowers are most often blue, but pink and white forms also exist. The plant grows up to 60 cm tall.

How is borage used?

Borage leaves and flowers are eaten fresh in salads, cooked in soups, or used as garnishes. The flowers are also used to decorate desserts and drinks. Its seeds are pressed for oil, and the plant is used in companion planting.

Is borage safe to eat?

Some parts of borage contain small amounts of liver-toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. While the leaves and flowers are traditionally eaten, caution is advised, especially with large or frequent consumption.

What does borage symbolise?

Borage has been associated with cheerfulness and comfort since ancient times. Herbalists and writers believed it could lift the spirits and drive away sadness.

Good reading and sources

Where this page comes from

The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Borage", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Phool rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

It may contain mistakes. It is not medical or foraging advice: many flowers are poisonous, and traditional uses are reported, not recommended. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Forget-me-not: Sedum Tauno Erik, CC BY-SA 2.5, source

Almond: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Tulip: John O'Neill, CC BY-SA 3.0, source

Linden: Bruce Marlin, CC BY 3.0, source

Blackthorn: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source

Borage: Jengod, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Nemophila: Miwasatoshi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Echium: Victor M. Vicente Selvas, Public domain, source

Borage