The most common other names for borage are starflower, bee bush, bee bread, cool tankard, and tailwort. They all point to the same blue-flowered herb known to botanists as Borago officinalis. One seed packet might say starflower at one shop and bee bush at the next, even though both hold the same plant.
That mix of labels trips up a lot of new gardeners. You spot a packet marked starflower plant on a rack, then find the same seeds sold as borage two shelves over. Nothing is wrong with either one. The herb just carries a long list of folk names that built up over hundreds of years of use.
Most of these names describe something you can see or do with the plant. The story behind each one makes them easy to keep straight.
Starflower
- The look: Each bloom opens into a clean five-pointed star in bright sky blue, so the name fits what you see in the garden.
- Why it stuck: The shape stands out from rounder flowers nearby, which made starflower an easy label for sellers and cooks alike.
- On labels: You will see this name most on seed packets and in the herbal oil aisle, where starflower oil is common.
Bee Bush And Bee Bread
- The draw: The flowers pull in honeybees all day long, and the plant refills its nectar fast after each visit.
- The names: Bee bush points to the steady buzz around the plant, while the bee bread herb name nods to how much the hive feeds on it.
- For your garden: Plant it near beans or squash and you get more pollinators working those crops too.
Cool Tankard And Tailwort
- Cool tankard: Old summer drinks used the leaves for a fresh, cucumber-like taste, so the herb earned a name tied to the tankard it cooled.
- Tailwort: This older name, also written as talewort, shows up in herbal records and extension sources from past centuries.
- Same plant: Both names still mean Borago officinalis, even though few shops use them today.
The starflower name comes straight from the flower itself. Each bloom forms a tidy five-pointed star in a deep blue you rarely see in a vegetable bed. That shape is the quickest way to confirm you have the right herb when a label leaves you guessing.
Bee bush and bee bread both grew out of how the plant works with honeybees. The flowers refill with nectar fast, so bees keep coming back through the whole day. Old beekeepers leaned on it as a steady food source, which is how the bee bread herb name took hold.
The name cool tankard has the most charm of the bunch. People once dropped the leaves into summer drinks for a fresh, cucumber-like taste. That cooling trick tied the herb to the tankard it flavored. The older name tailwort points the same way. You may also see it written as talewort. Both spellings show up in old herbals and extension records if you dig into the past.
All these labels can make shopping feel like guesswork. The good news is simple. One name on a borage plant never changes at all. That name is the Latin one, Borago officinalis. Look for it on any tag before you buy. The folk names stop causing trouble once you match that line of text.
There is one more trap to watch for among the borage common names. A plant sold as Indian borage is not the same herb at all. It is a separate, unrelated plant with thick, fuzzy leaves. Do not swap one for the other in the garden or the kitchen. When in doubt, the Latin name is your safest guide. It tells you exactly which plant you are holding, no matter what the front of the packet says.
Read the full article: Borage Plant: Grow, Eat & Use It Safely
