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 | |
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| Echium vulcanorum on Chã das Caldeiras | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Boraginales |
| Family: | Boraginaceae |
| Genus: | Echium |
| Species: | E. vulcanorum
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| Binomial name | |
| Echium vulcanorum A.Chev., 1935
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Description
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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
editEchium 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
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ 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
- ^ 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.
- ^ Plantas endémicas e arvores indígenas de Cabo Verde
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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