Copy permalink to share
Boraginaceae
Echium

not marked as a favorite taxon *Echium vulgare Linnaeus. Common name: Viper's-bugloss, Blueweed. Phenology: Jun-Sep. Habitat: Roadsides, dry pastures, disturbed areas. Distribution: Native of Mediterranean Europe. Reported for Cook County, GA (Carter, Baker, & Morris 2009). Reported for Jackson County, AL by Barger et al. (2023).

Glossary (beta!)

Origin/Endemic status: Mediterranean Europe and Africa

Synonymy ⓘ: = Ar, C, GrPl, Il, Mi, NcTx, NE, Pa, RAB, Tat, Tn, Tx, Va, W, WV; = Echium vulgare L. var. vulgare — F, G; < Echium vulgare L. — K4, NY, Al-Shehbaz (1991); Echium vulgare L. Basionym: Echium vulgare L. 1753

Show in key(s)

Show parent genus | Show parent in key(s)

Heliophily ⓘ: 9

Your browser does not support SVGs

Hover over a shape, letter, icon, or arrow on the map for definition or see the legend.

image #1 of Echium vulgare© Erik Danielson source | Original Image ⭷
image #2 of Echium vulgare© Jim Fowler | Original Image ⭷
image #3 of Echium vulgare© Scott Ward | Original Image ⭷
image #4 of Echium vulgare© Erik Danielson source | Original Image ⭷
image #5 of Echium vulgare© Erik Danielson source | Original Image ⭷
image #6 of Echium vulgare© Erik Danielson source | Original Image ⭷
image #7 of Echium vulgare© Scott Ward | Original Image ⭷

Feedback

See something missing or incorrect about Echium vulgare? Let us know here:
  1. Please include your name and if possible, email in case when need to clarify what you wrote.
  2. If you opt out of including email, please be as specific as possible (e.g., which photo is incorrect?)
  3. Please do not submit questions asking to identify plants or about horticultural topics (e.g., how do I control an invasive plant in my garden?). Instead, those questions can be submitted here for the Carolinas region only.
  4. Please do not send us feedback about unkeyed species as this work is ongoing.
  5. Please allow time for flora edits to show in our next data release. We greatly appreciate your feedback but may require extra time to research complicated taxonomic issues.

Horticultural Information

NCBG trait

Intro: Erect, bristly biennial of roadsides, dry pastures and disturbed areas. Native of Mediterranean Europe but now widespread in North America.

Stems: Stem unbranched and covered with stiff, spreading hairs.

Leaves: Leaves alternate, sessile, oblong to lance-shaped, 3/4-5 1/2 in. long (reduced in size upward), hairy.

Inforescence:

Flowers: Flowers in bristly, coiled racemes that branch off the stem; bright blue to blue-violet (pink in bud); ½ in. long; bilaterally symmetric and tubular to funnel-shaped, with 5 rounded lobes and 4 red stamens.

Fruits: Fruit an oval-oblong nutlet.

Comments: Abundant bristles make this plant painful to touch.

Height: 12-32 in.

plant sale text:

bloom table text:

description: Erect, bristly biennial of roadsides, dry pastures and disturbed areas. Native of Mediterranean Europe but now widespread in North America.

stems: Stem unbranched and covered with stiff, spreading hairs.

leaves: Leaves alternate, sessile, oblong to lance-shaped, 3/4-5 1/2 in. long (reduced in size upward), hairy.

inflorescence:

flowers: Flowers in bristly, coiled racemes that branch off the stem; bright blue to blue-violet (pink in bud); ½ in. long; bilaterally symmetric and tubular to funnel-shaped, with 5 rounded lobes and 4 red stamens.

fruits: Fruit an oval-oblong nutlet.

comments: Abundant bristles make this plant painful to touch.

cultural notes:

germination code:

native range:



0 unsaved edits on this page.