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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Echium arenarium (Coastal Viper's Bugloss) |
Echium arenarium (BORAGINACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Echium arenariumGuss.
Published in Ind. Sem. Horto Boccad. 5 (1826) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Boraginaceae Juss. (The Borage Family)
16 species from the Boraginaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Coastal Viper's Bugloss |
Maltese name(s) : |
Lsien il-fart tar-ramel, Lsien il-fart tax-xtut |
Status for Malta : |
Indigenous. Present on the Maltese islands before man |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Hemicryptophyte ( perennial herbaceous plants with vegetative buds close to the ground ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
February – June |
Colour of Flowers: |
Blue or Violet |
Toxicity: |
Not particularly toxic |
Name Derivation : |
Echium: From the Greek 'Echis' meaning a viper and most probably referring to the flower shape which appear to represent a vipers head. Another source states that the name alludes to the fact that roots of these plants drunk with wine was regarded both as good to act against snakebites and also as a continuing protection for future snake bites. (Greek origin)
arenarium: ()
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Planting in rural areas : |
Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Hispid biennial 10-25 cm, with several to many ascending flowering stems. Leaves with whitish, short appressed setae; the basal 30-60 x 5-14 mm, spathulate, long-petiolate; the cauline spathulate, elliptical or oblong, the uppermost sessile. Calyx 5-7 mm at anthesis, up to 10 mm in fruit, with the lobes remaining narrow. Corolla 6-11 mm, dark blue, with all the stamens included. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Dunes and sandy fields near the sea, sometimes also found on exposed rocky ground near maritime coasts.
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Arid exposed ground near the shore, prefering sandy areas
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Distributional range |
Mediterranean region
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
the Balaeric Islands, Crete, Greece, Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), Doubtful in Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily and/or Malta, Introduced in France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse)
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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? AE Ag Bl(I M N) Cr Cy Ga Gr Hs(S) It Li dLu Ma dSa Si(M S) Tn
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| Links & Further literature
(0 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
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Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
