Blueweed

Echium vulgare

Family: Boraginaceae

Other Common Names: Viper's Bugloss
Weed class: B
Year Listed: 1988
Native to: Asia and Europe
Is this Weed Toxic?:

not known to be

Legal listings:

This plant is also on the Washington State quarantine list. It is prohibited to transport, buy, sell, offer for sale, or distribute plants or plant parts of quarantined species into or within the state of Washington or to sell, offer for sale, or distribute seed packets of seed, flower seed blends, or wildflower mixes of quarantined species into or within the state of Washington. Please see WAC 16-752 for more information on the quarantine list. For questions about the quarantine list, contact the Washington State Department of Agriculture's Plant Services Program at (360) 902-1874 or email PlantServices@agr.wa.gov.

Why Is It a Noxious Weed?

Blueweed invades pastureland and outcompetes more palatable forage.

How would I identify it?

General Description

Blueweed is a taprooted, upright biennial reaching 1 to 3 feet tall.

Flower Description

Inflorescences are long and narrow and have many flowers. Flowers have a deeply cleft, 5 parted calyx (sepals). Petals are blue, fused at the base with 5 unequal lobes.

Leaf description

The leaves are basal, oblanceolate and become smaller and sessile as they move up the stem.

Stem description

Stems are roughly hairy and spreading and upright.

Fruit Seed Description

Flowers each produce 4 nutlets, each nutlet contains one seed.

Where does it grow?

Blueweed can be found on roadsides, in pastures and disturbed sites. Please click here to see a county level distribution map of blueweed in Washington.