Echium vulcanorum is a species of flowering plants of the family Boraginaceae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde.[2] It is listed as an endangered plant by the IUCN.[1] The species was first described in 1935 by Auguste Chevalier.[3] Its local name is língua-de-vaca (cow tongue), a name that may also refer to the related species Echium hypertropicum and Echium stenosiphon.[4] The oil of its seeds contains γ-linolenic acid, and is used for medicinal and dietary purposes.[5]

Echium vulcanorum
Echium vulcanorum on Chã das Caldeiras
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Boraginales
Family: Boraginaceae
Genus: Echium
Species:
E. vulcanorum
Binomial name
Echium vulcanorum
A.Chev., 1935

Description

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Echium Vulcanorum near Pico do Fogo.

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.[3] 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.[6]

Distribution and ecology

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Echium vulcanorum is restricted to the island of Fogo, where it occurs between 1,600 and 2,400 m elevation, in semi-arid zones.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b Catarino, S.; Duarte, M.C.; Romeiras, M.M. (2017). "Echium vulcanorum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T107425957A107468177. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T107425957A107468177.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c Chevalier, Auguste (1935). Les îles du Cap Vert : géographie, biogéographie, agriculture. Flore de l'archipel (PDF). Paris: Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, laboratoire d'agronomie coloniale: Tela Botanica. pp. 183–184.
  4. ^ Plantas endémicas e arvores indígenas de Cabo Verde
  5. ^ Gomes, Alda Roque; Vasconcelos, Teresa; Almeida, Helena Guimarães de (31 October 2008). "Plantas na medicina tradicional de Cabo Verde" [Traditional Medicinal Plants in Cape Verde] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Plantas Medicinais e Fitoterapêuticas nos Trópicos, IICT/CCCM. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  6. ^ "Echium vulcanorum". www.strangewonderfulthings.com. Retrieved 2024-05-27.

Further reading

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  • 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, ISBN 82-7420-033-0