A genus containing 186 species of annual, or herbaceous biennial and perennial flowering plants in the Boraginaceae family native to the Americas. They have fine, pinnately-divided leaves and inflorescence stems carrying tubular, bell-shaped flowers with protruding, whiskery stamens in some species. The winter annual species are often grown as green manures and several species are also grown in wildflower planting schemes where they attract many pollinators.