''Echium virescens'' is a flowering plant in the genus ''

Echium ''Echium'' is a genus of approximately 70 species and several subspecies of flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae. Species of ''Echium'' are native to North Africa, mainland Europe to Central Asia, and the Macaronesian islands wher ...

''. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to the island of

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the Archipelago, archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitant ...

, mainly in

Macizo de Anaga Macizo de Anaga is a mountain range in the northeastern part of the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The highest point is 1,024 m (Cruz de Taborno). It stretches from the Punta de Anaga in the northeast to Cruz del Carmen in the sout ...

and the

Orotava Valley The Orotava Valley ( es, Valle de la Orotava) is an area in the northern part of the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. The valley measures 10 km by 11 km, and stretches from the north coast to about 2,000 m elevation, at the n ...

. It grows in forests and on lower south slopes of the island.

Description

It is a herbaceous plant and grows up to 2 m in height and requires plenty of sun and good drainage. It is a branched, bushy plant. It grows in rosettes with several dense and cylindrical

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...

s. These tops are forked, unlike the '' Echium webbii'' of the island of

La Palma La Palma (, ), also known as ''La isla bonita'' () and officially San Miguel de La Palma, is the most north-westerly island of the Canary Islands, Spain. La Palma has an area of making it the fifth largest of the eight main Canary Islands. The ...

, that has simple lateral tops. It has dense foliage with green-grey leaves. These are thick and persistent,

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regula ...

, at the base, and smaller throughout the

, with hairs on both sides. It has pale blue or pink

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

s from the end of winter to the beginning of spring. The

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined ...

s of the flowers are fused at the base.

Uses

This plant is used in

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

s. The plant are used for beekeeping, as it is rich in pollen and nectar.

External links

*
''Echium virescens'' and other flowers of Tenerife
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2065350 virescens Flora of the Canary Islands