Echium plantagineum L.

First published in Mant. Pl. 2: 202 (1771)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Macaronesia to Caucasus. It is an annual or biennial and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Boraginaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1991

Morphology General Habit
Erect annual to biennial herb with 1–many flowering stems 20–65 cm. tall; radical leaves ovate to oblanceolate, 5–28 cm. long, 1–3.5 cm. wide, adpressed setose with lateral nerves distinct; cauline leaves oblong to lanceolate, the upper cordate or truncate at the base, all with adpressed rather soft hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Cymes usually distinctly stalked, lengthening after flowering to 25–30 cm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 0.7–1.2 cm. long, lengthening to 1.7 cm. in fruit.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla blue turning purple then pink or entirely white, 1.8–3.2 cm. long, with hairs restricted to the veins and margins; ring of 10 distinct pilose lobes within the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Lower pair of stamens exserted, the others included or only slightly exserted; filaments with long woolly hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style included, densely hispidulous below, bifid for ± 1 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Nutlets black or grey-brown, ovoid-bipyramidal, 2.3–3 × 2–2.5 mm. with prominent ventral and distinct dorsal keel and short suberect beak, tuberculate and faintly striate.
Figures
Fig. 22.
Habitat
Naturalised along roads and in meadows; 1680–2420 m.
Distribution
native to W. Europe including SW. Britain and Mediterranean area introduced into other parts of Europe, S. Russia and Caucasus and widely distributed as a casual and a bad weed in Australia K3 T3
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images