Echium vulcanorum explained

Echium vulcanorum is a species of flowering plants of the family Boraginaceae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde.^[1] It is listed as an endangered plant by the IUCN. The species was first described in 1935 by Auguste Chevalier.^[2] Its local name is língua-de-vaca (cow tongue), a name that may also refer to the related species Echium hypertropicum and Echium stenosiphon.^[3] The oil of its seeds contains γ-linolenic acid, and is used for medicinal and dietary purposes.^[4]

Description

The plant is a very branched shrub that reaches 1–2 m height. Its leaves are lanceolate and 5-7  cm long and 1-1.5 cm wide. Its flowers are white, rarely bluish.^[2] Although the plant can have flowers all year long, the most display occurs in the spring when the plant is covered in enormous, cone-shaped clusters of blossoms. Each funnel-shaped blossom has blue streaks radiating from its center and is pearly white with a length of little under an inch. Bees are very fond of the blossoms. Echium vulcanorum is a long-lived species that flower beautifully for several years, in contrast to many Echium species that only flower once before dying.^[5]

Distribution and ecology

Echium vulcanorum is restricted to the island of Fogo, where it occurs between 1,600 and 2,400 m elevation, in semi-arid zones.^[2]

Further reading

• The endemic vascular plants of the Cape Verde Islands, W Africa, Sommerfeltia 24, 1997, C. Brochmann, Ø. H. Rustan, W. Lobin & N. Kilian, ISSN 0800-6865,

Notes and References

1. Oromí, Martín, Zurita & Cabrera, 2005 : Lista preliminar de especies silvestres de Cabo Verde: Hongos, Plantas y Animales Terrestres. Gobierno de Canarias, Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación Territorial, p. 41
2. Book: Chevalier, Auguste. 1935. Les îles du Cap Vert : géographie, biogéographie, agriculture. Flore de l'archipel.. Paris: Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, laboratoire d'agronomie coloniale. 183–184. Tela Botanica.
3. http://www.caboverde.com/nature/plan-20.jpg Plantas endémicas e arvores indígenas de Cabo Verde
4. Web site: Gomes. Alda Roque. Vasconcelos. Teresa. Almeida. Helena Guimarães de. Plantas na medicina tradicional de Cabo Verde. Traditional Medicinal Plants in Cape Verde. Plantas Medicinais e Fitoterapêuticas nos Trópicos, IICT/CCCM. 7. pt. 31 October 2008. 25 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20170329135958/http://www2.iict.pt/archive/doc/MH_Almeida_wrkshp_plts_medic.pdf. 29 March 2017. dead.
5. Web site: Echium vulcanorum . 2024-05-27 . www.strangewonderfulthings.com.