ECHIUM PLANTAGINEUM: CHARACTERISTICS, HABITAT, DISTRIBUTION, PROPERTIES - BIOLOGY - 2025

Echium plantagineum is an annual herb, native to the western Mediterranean area, belonging to the Boraginaceae family. It is commonly known as cordial flowers, purple flower bougainvillea, yellow dock, ox tongue, viborera (due to the similarity of the seeds to the heads of vipers). Particularly in Australia it is known as Salvation Jane.

It reaches up to a meter in height. It has very showy purple flowers that grow about 3 cm arranged in an erect raceme. It blooms during spring and its pollination is thanks to insects. Leaf morphology differs between basal and caulinar leaves.

Echium plantagineum. Source: Alvesgaspar

It grows abundantly in grasslands or meadows where it is under direct sunlight. It is considered as an invasive species (pest), however, it more easily infests lands that are not dominated by other herbaceous species.

This species is a wild grass that very little can be attacked by pests or diseases thanks to its natural resistance.

It is used as a diuretic, emmenagogue, astringent, antidermatotic and Vulnerary. On the other hand, it is used as an ornamental due to its beautiful flowers; Its leaves are used to prepare salads, and its root is used to dye fabrics.

characteristics

Plant

Species: Echium plantagineum L.

Some synonyms for this species are: Echium bonariense, Echium creticum, Echium creticum subsp. plantagineum, Echium longistamineum, Echium lusitanicum, Echium murale, Echium orientale, Echium plantagineum var. alba, Echium platagineum var. maroccanum, Echium plantaginifolium, Echium sennenii, and Echium violaceum.

Habitat and distribution

Echium plantagineum is an autochthonous species of the western Mediterranean area. It is very common in Spain, Portugal, England, Italy, Bulgaria, Greece, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Australia, Tasmania, Ethiopia, South Africa, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Canada, the United States, among others.

In species-rich grasslands it is found very frequently, but it is not the dominant species. It is distributed in waterways or around roads, in fallows and ditches.

Echium plantagineum. Source: Alvesgaspar

In countries like Australia this plant is considered very invasive. In fact, since it was introduced in that country, it has infested large areas of agricultural land, especially in the southeast and southwest of Australia, where it has become the species of grass that dominates the area.

This plant invades lands that have been disturbed or are at rest. It can hardly establish itself as a pest in soils that are dominated by other perennial herbaceous species.

Echium plantagineum growing in the middle of a grassland. Source: Patrice78500

Properties

The Echium plantagineum can be used in powder to prepare plasters that serve as antidermatotic and vulvar.

For their part, the flowers and leaves have a diuretic, astringent, emollient, sudorific and emmenagogue effect. They can be eaten cooked.

This plant is toxic to animals, and animals that consume it may have vomiting and diarrhea for a few days, and may even die.

This is due to its content of pyrrolizidine alkaloids and another alkaloid known as equine, whose venom can replace that of curare that is used by the natives to poison their arrows.

Flower pollen could be used in the phytochemical area due to its high anthocyanin composition. Blue pollen can vary between 45 and 80 mg per 100 g of pollen. The chemical compounds found in pollen are delphinidin, cyanidin, petunidin, peonidin, malvidin, among others.

Beautiful flower of the purple flower bugloss (Echium plantagineum). Source: Taken by Carsten Niehaus (user: Lumbar).

Applications

This plant can be used as an ornamental due to the beautiful flowers it has.

It also has culinary uses. For this, its leaves are used as an additional vegetable to prepare salads.

In the cosmetic area, the juice of this plant is used as a powerful emollient indicated for irritated, reddened and delicate skin.

It is also used as a colorant, since the root of this plant produces a red color that is used to dye fabrics.

Also, this plant is important in the production of honey, however, it is possible that after a long period of drought, the honey is toxic.

Care

Light

This plant tolerates shade, but grows best in direct sunlight.

Temperature

Ideally, it should be developed in environments with moderate temperatures.

Floor

It must be sown in mountain soil. This means that the substrate must be dry, with a pH between 4.5 and 7.5, and rich in nitrogen. It is important that the substrate has good drainage capacity.

The soil texture should be sandy, loamy, or loam, which allows the soil to remain moist or dry.

Irrigation

Irrigation must be intermediate so that the humidity in the soil is kept constant.

Control

Pruning is the way to manually control this herb. Likewise, herbicides can be applied to control it.

In countries where its presence represents a pest, it is recommended that in order to control the invasion carried out by this species on agricultural areas, the space available for the establishment of Echium plantagineum is reduced by means of a significant coverage of the vegetation with other grasses.

References

1. Catalog of Life: Annual Checklist. 2019. Species details: Echium plantagineum L. Taken from: catalogueoflife.org
2. Di Paola-Naranjo, R., Sánchez-Sánchez, J., González-Paramás, AM, Rivas-Gonzalo, J. 2004. Liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of anthocyanin composition of dark blue bee pollen from Echium plantagineum. Journal of Chromatography A 1054 (1-2): 205-210.
3. Grigulis, K., Sheppard, AW Ash, JE, Groves, RH 2001. The comparative demography of the pasture weed Echium plantagineum between its native and invaded ranges. Journal of Applied Ecology 38: 281-290.
4. Sarmiento, L. 2019. Characteristics, care and pests of Echium plantagineum. Taken from: jardineriaon.com
5. Flora and fauna of Malpica de Tajo. 2019. The viborera (Echium plantagineum). Taken from: acorral.es
6. Beekeeping wiki. 2019. Echium plantagineum. Taken from: beekeeping.fandom.com