Echium plantagineum Purple Viper's-bugloss RR DD N
This looks more or less like the the ordinary E. vulgare but more purple in colour. It is quite common on the continent and I find it easily on derelict sites near the sea in Mediterranean areas. There is interest from the Health food industry in the fatty acid content of the seeds of this plant but in contrast the Australian stock breeders call it Paterson's Curse and regard it as a weed because of the poisonous alkaloids in the leaves which could cause liver damage if eaten in quantity by cattle or horses. It is not uncommon on the roadside verges in Western Australia.
In the British Isles it this strictly a casual in Southern Britain only although quite common on the nature reserve in St Ouens, Jersey where we found it. The plants we saw were more sparsely flowered than a typical E. vulgare but it is a very attractive wild flower. Overall it is a plant of southern England with no heavy concentration anywhere. There are a few sites in Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
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St Ouens, Jersey, 21st June 2004
Added on January 24th 2005, updated 24th December 2008, updated 29th March 2010