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Viper's-bugloss - Echium vulgare
This (usually) biennial plant produces a rosette of hairy, strap-like leaves in the first year. In the second year tall, upright stems arise in June, covered with clusters of pink flower buds, which uncurl into dark purplish-blue funnel-shaped flowers. Both the leaves and stems are roughly hairy.
Stamens exserted; corolla zygomorphic (unequal stamens and corolla lobes)
Photograph of whole plant
Found on disturbed dry soils on dunes, shingle, cliffs and open grassland with short turf.
June and July.
Biennial, but occasionally annual or perennial.
Widespread but local in Britain.
Uncommon in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 6 of the 617 tetrads.
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
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Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015
UK Map
Species profile
- Common names
- Viper's-bugloss, Viper's Bugloss
- Species group:
- Wildflowers
- Kingdom:
- Plantae
- Order:
- Family:
- Boraginaceae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 77
- First record:
- 05/06/2011 (Stevens, Ron)
- Last record:
- 10/08/2023 (Nicholls, David)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
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