Echium candicans L. f.
Pride of Madeira
A native of Madeira and the Canary Islands, pride of Madeira was introduced to North America as an ornamental, and has escaped along the southwestern coastal regions of California.
Plants: Young plants consist of a broad rosette of leaves. After the first year, the plant eventually reaches heights of 3–9½′ (1–3 m).
Leaves: 2–8″ (6–20 cm) long, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, tapering to sharp tips. Lower leaves are five times longer than upper leaves.
Flowers: Pride of Madeira produces attractive, neat-looking conical flowerheads 12–16″ (30–40 cm) high, with blue to violet flowers and red stamens.
Fruits: Flowers produce nutlets.
Habitats: Naturally occurs on in Madeira and other islands in the same archipelago, at elevations of 2625–3937′ (800–1200 m).
Online References:
Echium fastuosum auct. non Aiton
2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California · ≈ 6½ × 4′ (2.0 × 1.3 m) 
2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California · ≈ 2½ × 1½′ (75 × 50 cm) 
2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California · ≈ 4 × 2½′ (127 × 85 cm) 
2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California · ≈ 2 × 1½″ (5.7 × 4.3 cm) 
2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California · ≈ 10 × 15″ (26 × 39 cm) 
2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California 
ID is uncertain 
2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California 
2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California · ≈ 2½ × 3′ (72 × 97 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Lamiales | Aromatic herbs and shrubs, including lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, ash, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, mint, basil, and rosemary |
| Family | Boraginaceae | Borages or forget-me-nots |
| Genus | Echium | From the Greek echis, “a viper,” the nutlets appearing to represent a viper’s head |
| Species | candicans | “Shining white,” for the flowers on one vareity of this psecies |
Echium candicans description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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