Viper’s Bugloss

For snakebites… 🐍🪻
This wild plant, Echium vulgare, belongs to the Boraginaceae family. It grows on dry and bright soils, from plains to mid-mountains. The stems can grow up to almost a meter tall. The flowers are arranged in spike inflorescences and are bell-shaped 🔔. Their color changes from pink, before blooming, to a beautiful violet-blue when in full bloom.
The flowers of the viper’s bugloss are highly sought after by bees 🐝, both for pollen and nectar, due to their long blooming period from April to September; excellent monofloral honey 🍯 can be produced from them.
⁉️ Did you know? 😲
The name “viper’s bugloss” refers to the ancient belief, dating back to the time of the Greeks, that this plant could cure snakebites 🐍.
Photo Pixabay