| Echium wildpretii | |
|---|---|
| Echium wildpretii on Tenerife | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | (unplaced) |
| Family: | Boraginaceae |
| Genus: | Echium |
| Species: | E. wildpreti |
| Binomial name | |
| Echium wildpretii H.Pearson ex Hook.f. |
|
Echium wildpretii is an herbaceous biennial plant that grows up to 3 m in height. The species is endemic to the island of Tenerife, and is found mainly in Las Cañadas del Teide. The common names are tower of jewels, red bugloss, Tenerife bugloss or Mount Teide bugloss.[1] The Spanish word for this plant is tajinaste.
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The plant grows in the subalpine zone of the ravines of Mount Teide. It requires a lot of sun and is found in arid and dry conditions, but it tolerates frost down to -5 C.
It is a biennial, producing a dense rosette of leaves during the first year and an erect inflorescence between 1 and 3 m tall in the second year, and then dies, as is the case for monocarpic plants.
The plant blooms from late spring to early summer in Tenerife.
This plant can be found as a garden ornamental but is intolerant of low temperatures. As are most buglosses, it is favoured by bee-keepers for its high nectar and pollen content.