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Echium vulgare
⚠️ NOXIOUS — also called Viper's Bugloss. A biennial from Europe with bristly rough leaves and dramatic spikes of bright blue funnel-shaped flowers (with protruding pink stamens). Attractive but invasive — one plant produces 2,800+ seeds. Bristles and stiff hairs contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids that cause liver damage to livestock grazing it.
Quick Facts
Distribution
Scattered in Alberta; establishing in southern pastures
Light
Full sun
Bloom Time
June–Sept
Soil
Well-drained, tolerates poor soils
Water
Low
Growing & Cultivation
Propagation
DO NOT PROPAGATE. Control: hand-pull rosettes in first year (wear gloves — bristles irritate); herbicide before bolting.
Always verify plant identification with multiple sources before consuming any wild plant. This information is for educational purposes only.
