Echium vulgare L.
Viper’s bugloss, common viper’s bugloss
Kingdom Plantae Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
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 vulgare Latin for “common”
About plant names...
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:
The Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site
Wikipedia
Chestofbooks.com
Missouriplants.com
Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants
Wikimedia Commons
The Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide
Botanical.com
6/30/2013 · Rte. 119/225, Littleton, Massachusetts · ≈ 4 × 6″ (10 × 16 cm)
7/31/2016 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah Nation, Virginia
6/30/2013 · Rte. 119/225, Littleton, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (28 × 18 cm)
6/30/2013 · Rte. 119/225, Littleton, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 16 cm)
6/30/2013 · Rte. 119/225, Littleton, Massachusetts · ≈ 4 × 6″ (10 × 16 cm)
7/31/2016 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah Nation, Virginia
7/3/2013 · Rte. 119/225, Littleton, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 10″ (16 × 25 cm)
Echium vulgare description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 16 Sep 2023.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.
7/31/2016 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah Nation, Virginia
7/31/2016 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah Nation, Virginia
7/19/2017 · Monongahela National Forest, Monongahela, West Virginia · ≈ 4 × 6″ (10 × 15 cm)
7/19/2017 · Monongahela National Forest, Monongahela, West Virginia · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm)
7/19/2017 · Monongahela National Forest, Monongahela, West Virginia · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm)
6/30/2013 · Rte. 119/225, Littleton, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (12 × 18 cm)
9/3/2020 · Mitchell Field, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (12 × 18 cm)
7/31/2016 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah Nation, Virginia
7/19/2017 · Monongahela National Forest, Monongahela, West Virginia · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)
Range: Zones 3-11:
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