Stats

Lifespan: 2 yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: Europe and western Asia
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Spines
Status: Common

About

Viper's bugloss is a striking wildflower native to Europe and western Asia, producing dense spikes of vivid blue tubular blooms that shift from pink in bud to intense blue as they open. It is one of the most productive nectar plants in Europe, reportedly yielding up to 100 kg of nectar per hectare.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Boraginales
Family: Boraginaceae
Genus: Echium
Species: Echium vulgare