Italian viper's bugloss

Description

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). It is also found in North Africa, western Asia, Caucasus and Europe. It has naturalised in Australia. Echium is a genus of approximately 70 species and several subspecies of flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae. Species of Echium are native to North Africa, mainland Europe to Central Asia, and the Macaronesian islands where it reaches its maximum diversity. 29 species of Echium are endemic to the Canary, Madeira, and Cape Verde archipelagos. The continental species are herbaceous, whereas all but two of the endemic species of the Macaronesian islands are woody perennial shrubs. The Latin genus name comes from the Greek word (echis) meaning a viper, and dates to Dioscorides who noted a resemblance between the shape of the nutlets to a viper’s head. The genus Echium was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. Many species are used as ornamental and garden plants and may be found in suitable climates throughout the world. In Crete Echium italicum is called pateroi (πάτεροι) or voidoglosses and its tender shoots are eaten boiled or steamed. Echium species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Coleophora onosmella and orange swift. The seed oil from Echium plantagineum contains high levels of alpha linolenic acid (ALA), gamma linolenic acid (GLA) and stearidonic acid (SDA), making it valuable in cosmetic and skin care applications, with further potential as a functional food, as an alternative to fish oils.