Echium vulgare L.
Viper’s bugloss, common viper’s bugloss
Viper’s bugloss is native to Europe and western and central Asia. It was introduced to North America, where it has become naturalized, and is considered an invasive species in Washington. With a name like that, I had to try to find out where it comes from. “Viper” refers to a supposed resemblance between the seeds and a viper’s head. “Bugloss” derives from Greek words meaning rough, a reference to the hairy, warty stems. Identification: Plants are 12-31" (30-80 cm) tall. Initially, the flowers are pink, becoming blue as they mature. Leaves are long, up to 6" (15 cm), and narrow, 1" (3 cm). Flowers are occur in flowering spikes, with individual flowers ½-¾" (1.5-2 cm) in length. Each flower has five long red or red-violet stamens. Stems have soft hairs, with hairs emerging from raised purple spots on the green stem. Online References:
Echium vulgare on the Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site Echium vulgare on Wikipedia Echium vulgare on chestofbooks.com Echium vulgare on Missouriplants.com Echium vulgare on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants Echium vulgare on Wikimedia Commons Echium vulgare on the Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide Echium vulgare at Botanical.com 6/30/2013 · Rte. 119/225, Littleton, Massachusetts 7/31/2016 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia 6/30/2013 · Rte. 119/225, Littleton, Massachusetts 6/30/2013 · Rte. 119/225, Littleton, Massachusetts 6/30/2013 · Rte. 119/225, Littleton, Massachusetts 11/27/2009 · East End Walk, Portland, Maine · By Constance B. Kent 7/31/2016 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia 7/3/2013 · Rte. 119/225, Littleton, Massachusetts Echium vulgare description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 7 Sep 2020. © FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved. |
7/31/2016 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia 7/31/2016 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia 7/19/2017 · Monongahela National Forest, Monongahela, West Virginia 7/19/2017 · Monongahela National Forest, Monongahela, West Virginia 7/19/2017 · Monongahela National Forest, Monongahela, West Virginia 6/30/2013 · Rte. 119/225, Littleton, Massachusetts 9/3/2020 · Mitchell Field, Harpswell, Maine 7/31/2016 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia 7/19/2017 · Monongahela National Forest, Monongahela, West Virginia Range: Zones 3-11:
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