Forget-me-not belongs to the genus Myosotis of flowering plants and this five petalled flower is usually blue in colour, rather flat and small in size, however, variations in white or pink colours are also available. Grown both annually and perennially, the flower mostly blooms in spring. Though the plant was originally from New Zealand, a few of the species are also available in the temperate regions of Europe, Asia and America.

In the ancient times some Europeans believed that those who wore this flower would be remembered by their lovers forever, which gives rise to its name – the forget-me-not. The flower is, since then, associated with romance and tragic fate. It stands as a symbol of faithfulness and of enduring love. That is the singular reason why the flower is now universally used in coat lapels as a Masonic symbol in remembrance of all the sufferers in the name of Freemasonry, especially in the Nazi era. The flower is also declared the traditional symbol of Alpha Phi International Fraternity, the fourth Greek lettered sorority for women which was founded at the Syracuse University in 1872. The Newfoundlanders traditionally wear this flower on July 1st to remember their brethren who sacrificed their lives during the Battle of the Somme in the First World War.