Vipers bugloss
Echium vulgare L.
- light
- Full sun
- water
- Little
- tall
- 55 cm
- wide
- 38 cm
Boraginaceae
Also called Blueweed, Common viper's bugloss, Viper's bugloss
When it flowers
JFMAMJJASOND
Not known yet in the tropics: too few flowering observations to read a season from.
PetsNC State Extension and Wikipedia list it as toxic to horses (25 Oct 2026)
PeopleNC State Extension lists it as poisonous (all parts) (25 Oct 2026)
If a child, a pet or anyone may have eaten a plant, contact a doctor or vet straight away, or call the National Poisons Information Centre (AIIMS, New Delhi) on 1800 116 117, free and open 24 hours.
Something wrong with it?About it
- Grows as
- Annual or biennialKew's checklist, not yet checked
- Climate
- TemperateKew's checklist, not yet checked
- Wild in
- Europe to XinjiangKew's checklist, not yet checked
- Light
- Full sun (6 h or more)Read from NC State Extension, one source
- Height
- 30 cm to 79 cmRead from NC State Extension and Wikipedia, checked by a majority of its sourcesBacked by both sources. Sources differ: NC State Extension 1–3 ft; Wikipedia 30–80 cm
- Spread
- 30 cm to 46 cmRead from NC State Extension, one source
- Water
- Little: takes droughtRead from NC State Extension, one source
- Flowers
- Pink, blueRead from NC State Extension and Wikipedia, checked by a majority of its sourcesBacked by both sources. Sources differ: NC State Extension blue, pink, red; Wikipedia blue, pink
- Coldest it survives
- -34.4 °C (USDA zone 4a)Read from NC State Extension, one source
Not known yet: heat, hottest it survives.
In other languages (12)
- Spanish
- cardo, lenguaza, chupamiel
- Catalan
- llengua de bou, Bolenga borda, Borratja borda
- Arabic
- أخيون
- Asturian
- cordiella
- Belarusian
- Сіняк звычайны, Сіняквет звычайны
- Corsican
- Viparina turchina
- Czech
- hadinec obecný
- Kashubian
- Zwëczajny mòdrzińc
- Welsh
- Gwiberlys
- Danish
- Almindelig Slangehoved
- German
- Gemeiner Natterkopf, Gewöhnlicher Natterkopf, Gewöhnlicher Natternkopf
- Estonian
- Harilik ussikeel, Ussikeel
Where this comes from
- Wikidata, read 2026-10-25, CC0-1.0
- Kew's checklist, read 2026-10-24, CC-BY-4.0
- NC State Extension, read 2026-10-25, fact, cited
- Wikipedia, read 2026-10-25, fact, cited
- Wikimedia Commons, read 2026-10-25, Public domain
- 3D model: Echium vulgare (built for Vanagrha) by Vanagrha, own
A fact “checked by a majority of its sources” was settled by a vote of the pages it was read from, not by a person reading it; one marked “one source” rests on that page alone. Anything else not marked checked has not been checked yet. Where nothing is known, the page says so rather than guess.