{"query":"borago officinalis","localMatches":[{"slug":"borage","commonName":"Borage","scientificName":"Borago officinalis","category":"flower","profile":{"aliases":["starflower"],"lifecycle":"annual","roles":["pollinator","beneficial insect","edge plant"],"habit":"broad self-sowing annual herb flower","heightInches":[18,36],"spreadInches":[18,30],"bloomSeason":["summer"],"bloomColors":["blue","pink"],"edibleParts":["flowers"],"attracts":["bees","bumblebees"],"pollinatorValue":"high","sowDepthInches":0.5,"germinationDays":[5,15],"squareFootUse":"Use on a corner or nearby pollinator strip; mature plants are too wide for the middle of a tight grid.","harvestNotes":"Pick young flowers for garnish and leave plenty for bees.","varietyNotes":"Most garden borage is grown as the straight species; white forms are mostly an ornamental choice.","varieties":[{"name":"Common Blue","type":"species","traits":["blue flowers","bee plant","self-sows"],"daysToMaturity":[55,75],"heightInches":[24,36],"color":"blue","note":"The main borage to grow when pollinator value is the point."},{"name":"Alba","type":"cultivar","traits":["white flowers","edible bloom","novelty"],"daysToMaturity":[55,75],"heightInches":[18,30],"color":"white","note":"Pretty and useful, but less iconic than the blue form."}],"externalNames":{"gbif":"Borago officinalis","inaturalist":"Borago officinalis","perenual":"Borage","trefle":"Borago officinalis"}},"recordScore":{"totalScore":85,"verdict":"strong garden record","rows":[{"key":"taxonomy","label":"Taxonomy confidence","weight":18,"score":94,"detail":"Borago officinalis in Boraginaceae; 2 cached source references."},{"key":"garden-fit","label":"Square-foot usefulness","weight":22,"score":80,"detail":"multi-square crop with none support."},{"key":"timing","label":"Timing and care depth","weight":20,"score":79,"detail":"1 planting window, 50F minimum soil, 2 cautions."},{"key":"varieties","label":"Species and variety drill-down","weight":16,"score":88,"detail":"2 variety or cultivar options attached."},{"key":"flowers","label":"Annual flower intelligence","weight":12,"score":90,"detail":"high pollinator value."},{"key":"sources","label":"Source readiness","weight":12,"score":82,"detail":"Ready for 4 external lookup paths."}]},"drilldown":{"taxonomy":{"scientificName":"Borago officinalis","family":"Boraginaceae","genus":"Borago","species":"Borago officinalis","rank":"species","confidence":"reviewed","lookupNames":["Borage","Borago officinalis","starflower"],"sourceRefs":["usda-plants","gbif"],"note":"This record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions."},"gardenRows":[{"key":"spacing","label":"Square-foot fit","value":"2 squares per plant","score":80,"detail":"Use on a corner or nearby pollinator strip; mature plants are too wide for the middle of a tight grid. Support: none."},{"key":"season","label":"Season behavior","value":"semi-hardy","score":79,"detail":"Direct sow. One main planting."},{"key":"care","label":"Care load","value":"moderate water","score":80,"detail":"Self-sows readily. Give it room; mature plants are broad. Soil minimum 50F."},{"key":"ecosystem","label":"Bed ecosystem role","value":"pollinator, beneficial insect","score":90,"detail":"high pollinator value; blue, pink."},{"key":"varieties","label":"Variety depth","value":"2 options","score":88,"detail":"Most garden borage is grown as the straight species; white forms are mostly an ornamental choice."}],"varieties":[{"name":"Alba","type":"cultivar","traits":["white flowers","edible bloom","novelty"],"daysToMaturity":[55,75],"heightInches":[18,30],"color":"white","note":"Pretty and useful, but less iconic than the blue form.","fitScore":70,"bestUse":"cut and garden display","tradeoff":"match timing and spacing to the rest of the bed"},{"name":"Common Blue","type":"species","traits":["blue flowers","bee plant","self-sows"],"daysToMaturity":[55,75],"heightInches":[24,36],"color":"blue","note":"The main borage to grow when pollinator value is the point.","fitScore":64,"bestUse":"cut and garden display","tradeoff":"match timing and spacing to the rest of the bed"}],"sourceLayer":[{"id":"local-cache","label":"FVF reviewed cache","mode":"cached","use":"Spacing, timing, variety, companion, and FVF notes used by the planner."},{"id":"gbif-inaturalist","label":"GBIF and iNaturalist","mode":"live no-key","use":"No-key taxonomy, common-name, and community context checks through the enrichment route."},{"id":"usda-downloads","label":"USDA PLANTS downloads","mode":"reference","use":"Periodic identity, distribution, native status, and conservation reference layer."},{"id":"perenual-trefle","label":"Perenual or Trefle","mode":"optional key","use":"Optional species images, care data, cultivar/synonym cleanup, then cache only reviewed fields."}]}}],"external":[{"ok":true,"status":200,"source":"gbif","data":{"usageKey":2926110,"scientificName":"Borago officinalis L.","canonicalName":"Borago officinalis","rank":"SPECIES","status":"ACCEPTED","confidence":99,"matchType":"EXACT","kingdom":"Plantae","phylum":"Tracheophyta","order":"Boraginales","family":"Boraginaceae","genus":"Borago","species":"Borago officinalis","kingdomKey":6,"phylumKey":7707728,"classKey":220,"orderKey":7226464,"familyKey":2498,"genusKey":2926109,"speciesKey":2926110,"class":"Magnoliopsida"}},{"ok":true,"status":200,"source":"inaturalist","data":{"total_results":1,"page":1,"per_page":5,"results":[{"id":52287}]}}],"sourceFits":[{"id":"perenual","name":"Perenual API","score":88,"role":"Optional care, images, hardiness, and variety/cultivar detail.","bestFor":"Flower and ornamental drill-down, plant photos, care flags, toxicity, bloom data.","limits":"Requires an API key and plan-aware caching, so it should enrich records without blocking the app.","integration":"optional key"},{"id":"trefle","name":"Trefle API","score":84,"role":"Optional taxonomy plus botanical traits.","bestFor":"Scientific names, subspecies, varieties, hybrids, synonyms, and broader botanical cleanup.","limits":"Requires a token and should be treated as a reviewed import layer, not a live page dependency.","integration":"optional key"},{"id":"usda-plants","name":"USDA PLANTS downloads","score":82,"role":"Authority cache for U.S. plant identity and regional context.","bestFor":"Standard names, plant symbols, distribution, native status, and conservation flags.","limits":"Best consumed as periodic downloaded data instead of one-off runtime requests.","integration":"download cache"},{"id":"gbif","name":"GBIF Species API","score":78,"role":"Live public taxonomy matching.","bestFor":"Accepted scientific names, synonyms, family/genus cleanup, and occurrence context.","limits":"Not a gardening advice source; pair it with local square-foot growing data.","integration":"live public"},{"id":"inaturalist","name":"iNaturalist taxa API","score":72,"role":"Live public species/photo/community context.","bestFor":"Common-name discovery, taxon IDs, and regional biodiversity context.","limits":"Observation data is not the same thing as garden suitability or crop timing.","integration":"live public"}],"recommendation":"Use GBIF and iNaturalist live for no-key lookup, then cache reviewed names. Add PERENUAL_API_KEY or TREFLE_TOKEN later for richer care, image, cultivar, and synonym imports."}