Abraham-Isaac-Jacob     At the end of January, apart from snowdrops, the little flower buds of Oriental Borage (Trachystemon  orientali) were one of the few flowers around in a local wood (extra).  The flowers appeared before the leaves but now the flowers are almost over and hidden under the large leaves. The stalk is purple and the flower buds start off white then progress through mauve to a deep indigo at the tip with the petals being rolled back with protruding purple anthers surrounding the stigma.   One suggestion on how it got its biblical name is that as the flowers age the different stages of colour reflect the generations from Abraham to his son and grandson.
Oriental borage is quite rare but can be found in a few scattered locations in damp woodland after having been first introduced as a garden plant to the UK in 1868 and like many plants has become naturalised. In its natural location in southeast Europe it is used as a vegetable.