Echium italicum

Bové. ex DC.

Italian Bugloss, Pale bugloss

BoraginaceaeLeavesFlowersShootsPotential hazards — see below

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(c) Veljo Runnel, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

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(c) Jacek Pietruszewski, some rights reserved (CC BY)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Flower - nectar, Stems

The fresh young leaves are eaten in soup and roasted with meat. The flower nectar is sucked.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It is a Mediterranean climate plant. It grows on rocky and grassy habitats.

Africa, Australia, Crete, Europe, France, Greece, Italy, Mediterranean, North Africa, Portugal, Sicily, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, Türkiye,

Countries: Andorra, Albania, Angola, Austria, Australia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Bulgaria, Burundi, Benin, Botswana, Belarus, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Switzerland, Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Djibouti, Denmark, Algeria, Estonia, Egypt, Eritrea, Spain, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, United Kingdom, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Greece, Guinea-Bissau, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Iceland, Italy, Kenya, Comoros, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Liberia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Libya, Morocco, Monaco, Moldova, Montenegro, Madagascar, North Macedonia, Mali, Mauritania, Malta, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Russia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, Sierra Leone, San Marino, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, Syria, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Tanzania, Ukraine, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

A robust herb which keeps growing from year to year. It grows 1 m tall. It has dense white or yellow bristles. In the first year the leaves are in a flat ring near the ground. The leaves are sword shaped or narrowly oval. The flowers are yellow, pink or bluish-white. They are 10-12 mm long. They occur as many together in a pyramid shaped flower arrangement. The stamen are long and protrude.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Echium italicum, the Italian viper's bugloss, Lady Campbell weed, or pale bugloss, is a species of plant from the family Boraginaceae, found in the Mediterranean Basin (especially in Italy, hence the name 'italicum') and, as an introduced species in the United States (for example in the state of Maryland).

Notes

There are about 40-60 Echium species all indigenous to the Mediterranean.

Names & Synonyms

Ayikulagi, Bou chenaf, Engerek itu, Erbo vieio, Guriza top, Halmech, Haricha, Himhim, Lecan et tsour, Lingua di voi, Mijok, Pateroulia, Ouchcham, Sorik, Sorma, Taharadj, Tainast, Voidoglosses, Yaglica, Yakar ot

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