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Electronic Flora of South Australia species Fact Sheet

Family: Boraginaceae
Echium plantagineum

Citation: L., Mant. Ah. 202 (1771).

Synonymy: E. lycopsis L. ex Grufb., Fl. Angl. 12 (1754), partly; E. violaceum sensu Benth., Fl. Aust. 4:385 (1868), non L.

Common name: Salvation Jane, Patersons curse, purple vipers bugloss.

Description:
Annuals rarely biennials to 80 cm high, with one to several erect stems terminating in an inflorescence, with usually a loosely arranged basal rosette, more or less densely covered with fine spreading hairs usually with a broad base and rarely with very short hairs except on the inflorescence; leaves more or less densely clustered, petiolate, and with oblanceolate to obovate lamina with a cuneate base at the base becoming scattered, sessile and with oblong-lanceolate lamina with cordate to auriculate base on or below the inflorescence, 4-20 x 0.8-7 cm, covered with more or less spreading fine hairs usually with a somewhat broadened base and often with some short hairs along the margin.

Inflorescence conical to somewhat loosely branched with a few to many spreading unbranched monochasia with sessile flowers arranged in 2 rows; sepals little connate at the base, linear-lanceolate, 8-11 mm long or to 15 mm in fruit, with fine spreading hairs; corolla broadly funnel-shaped, somewhat irregular, purplish-blue, 18-30 mm long, with scattered hairs outside, with a row of 5 nectary scales around the ovary; lobes broadly oblong to transversely oblong, 2-6 mm long, rounded; stamens with filaments inserted near the throat in front but deeper in the throat at the back, with free part longer and with scattered hairs; anthers narrowly ellipsoid, c. 2 mm long, without an appendage; ovary 4-lobed, with a style inserted at about the middle to 35 mm long, hairy and with a 2-fid stigma.

Mericarps with a short ridged beak parallel with the style and bulging pointed shoulders on either side, roughly rugose with pointed tubercles, a pale greyish-brown.

image of FSA3_Echium_pla.jpg Habit, flower and mericarp in two views.
Image source: fig. 535B in Jessop J.P. & Toelken H.R. (Ed.) 1986. Flora of South Australia (4th edn).

Published illustration: Cunningham et al. (1982) Plants of western New South Wales, pl. 561; Parsons (1973) Noxious weeds of Victoria, figs 12, 13, 14 & 16.

Distribution:  S.Aust.: NW, LE, NU, GT, FR, EA, EP, NL, MU, YP, SL, KI, SE.   All States.   Native to western Europe and the Mediterranean region; introduced into central Europe, Caucasia and southern Russia.

Conservation status: naturalised

Flowering time: June — Nov.


SA Distribution Map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: No text

Author: Not yet available


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