Borage below under Phytochemistry). "Borago officinalis" grows to a height of , and is bristly or hairy all over the stems and leaves; the leaves are alternate, simple, and long. The flowers are complete, perfect with five narrow, triangular-pointed petals. Flowers are most often blue, although pink flowers are sometimes observed. White flowered types are also cultivated. The blue flower is genetically dominant over the white flower. The flowers arise along scorpioid cymes to form large floral displays with multiple flowers blooming simultaneously, suggesting that borage has a high degree of geitonogamy (intra-plant pollination). It has an indeterminate growth habit which
HMS Borage (K120) three years she helped guard more than 50 merchant convoys (outbound and homebound); from these just two ships were damaged and none were lost. "Borage" contributed to the safe and timely arrival of more than 1,000 merchant ships. In December 1943 she was part of the close escort to convoy JW 55B, which was subject to a failed attack resulting in the sinking of the German battleship "Scharnhorst". With the end of hostilities "Borage" was decommissioned and in 1946 she was sold. In 1946 "Borage" was sold to the Irish Naval Service where she was commissioned as . She was