This pretty perennial flower is a member of the forget-me-not family. It is not native to the United States, but was introduced from Europe as a garden plant. It is now widespread in much of North America. The common name comes from several old legends. The most common is a German story that while either God or Adam was naming plants and animals, he neglected this plant. The plant called out "Forget me not", that was thus given that name. Another story involves a young man picking these flowers for his sweetheart when he falls into a deep pool of water. As he sinks below the surface he throws the flowers onto the bank as a reminder to his girl to forget-me-not.

The small five petals of the flowers are sky-blue with golden centers and are borne on two diverging branches. Each is about ¼ to 1/3 inch wide. The petals fuse at the base to make a tubed corolla. The flower stalks uncoil as the flowers bloom. The stems are lightly hairy and angled. The 1-2 inch leaves are alternate and have no stalks (sessile) and hairy.

When the plant is in bud the tightly coiled flower cluster resembles the tail of a scorpion, given the plant its species name. The plant grows 6-24 inches high. They are most often found near streams, lakes, ponds and other wet places. They bloom from May to October. Another common names is water forget-me-not. A native relative of this plant is the smaller forget-me-not (M. laxa). They have much smaller flowers but also grows in wet places. Another imported species the tufted forget-me-not is now widely cultivated and grows wild in drier areas of northeastern United States.