''Aegonychon purpurocaeruleum'', commonly known as the purple gromwell, is a

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

and it belongs to the family

Boraginaceae Boraginaceae, the Borago, borage or forget-me-not family, includes about 2,000 species of shrubs, trees, and herbs in 146 to 154 genus, genera with a worldwide distribution. The APG IV system from 2016 classifies the Boraginaceae as single famil ...

Etymology

The

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

name of the species, , means 'purple and blue', referring to the changing colour of the flowers with the progress of flowering.

Description

Boraginaceae - Buglossoides purpurocaerulea-3

''Aegonychon purpurocaeruleum'' is a bushy plant that reaches on average of height, with a maximum of . The stem is hairy, erect and unbranched. Leaves are dark green and lanceolate to narrow elliptic, with a prominent midrib on the underside. Flowers are hermaphroditic, funnel-shaped, long and of diameter, clustered in a racemose inflorescence. The flowers are initially purple-reddish, changing to a deep blue. The flowering period extends from April to June. The fruits are bright white capsules, long, with a glossy surface. They are very hard (hence the genus synonym ''Lithospermum'', meaning "stone seed" for the hardness of these capsules).

Distribution

This species is rare in

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

, widespread in central

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

up to South

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and in Mediterranean countries from

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

to eastern

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

Habitat

''Aegonychon purpurocaeruleum'' is typically found in dry and warm forests characterized by sparse deciduous vegetation, it can also be found in the meadows situated on the edge of the woodlands, as well as in hedgerows and scrublands. The plants prefer calcareous soils rich in humus, at elevations of above sea level.

References

* Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia – Edagricole – 1982, Vol. II, pag. 398 * Tutin, T.G. et al. - Flora Europaea, second edition - 1993

External links

* * {{Authority control Boraginaceae Plant dyes Flora of Europe Flora of Turkey Flora of Lebanon and Syria Flora of the Caucasus Flora of Iran Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus