Facts About Forget-Me-Nots

State Flower

• The forget-me-not became Alaska's state flower in 1949. This plant grows well in Alaska's high altitude and alpine fields. It blooms in June and July, and grows between five and 12 inches in height. The most common variety in Alaska, the Myosotis alpestris, has sky-blue petals and an inner center of yellow rimmed in white.

Freemasons

• Historically, a forget-me-not pin was worn on the lapel of Freemasons. In 1926, the Grand Lodge Zur Sonne wore the pin at the freemasons' annual convention in Bremen, Germany. In 1938, the Nazi party's nonprofit organization, the Winterhilfswerk, adopted the forget-me-not pin as its emblem. Serendipitously, this coincidence gave the freemasons a symbol they could wear to identify a secretive membership in this centuries-old organization. Today, freemasons still wear the forget-me-not pin in memory of those freemasons who were imprisons in concentration as political prisoners during World War II.

Namesake

• One variety of forget-me-not, Myosotis scorpioides, is also referred to as "Scorpion Weed." Because of its coiled plant stem that looked like a scorpion's tail, it was thought that the plant was an antidote for a scorpion's sting. That hypothesis has never been validated, but the origin of the plant's name is fodder for romantic tales. One tale describes a knight who was walking with his lover along a riverbank. When he reached to pick a bouquet of blue, petaled flowers, he lost his balance and fell into the river. Before he drowned, he threw the bouquet to his lover and called out, "forget me not!"

Herbal Properties

• The forget-me-not is considered an herb. It is used medicinally for lungs, skin wounds and nose bleeds because of its astringent properties. Some drink the flower in teas, and grind the dried plant into a powder to use as a poultice on wounds. Because ingestion of the flower has been linked to liver damage and cancer, WebMD.com cautions against the use of the flower, especially for pregnant or nursing women.