Boraginaceae

Common viper's bugloss

Echium vulgare L.

Family: Boraginaceae
Genus: Echium

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Common viper's bugloss (Echium vulgare) — FlowerPhoto: Tom Norton, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (50)

Albanian: Ushqerza e rëndomtë
Arabic: أخيون, حشيشة أفعى
Armenian: Իժախոտ սովորական
arz: اخيون
Asturian: Cordiella
Azerbaijani: Adi qızartıotu
Basque: Sugegorri-belar
Belarusian: Сіняк звычайны, Сіняквет звычайны
Bulgarian: Обикновено усойниче
Catalan: Llengua de bou, Bolenga borda, Borratja borda, Cul de porc, Herba viborera, Viperina
Chinese: 蓝蓟, 藍薊
Corsican: Viparina turchina
Croatian: Obična lisičina
csb: Zwëczajny mòdrzińc
Czech: Hadinec obecný
Danish: Almindelig Slangehoved
Dutch: Slangenkruid
English: Common viper's bugloss, Blueweed, Viper's bugloss, Vipers bugloss
Estonian: Harilik ussikeel, Ussikeel
Finnish: Kyläneidonkieli, Neidonkieli, Piennarneidonkieli
French: Vipérine commune, Viperine commune
Georgian: Ლურჯი ძირწითელა
German: Gewöhnlicher Natternkopf, Gemeiner Natterkopf, Gewöhnlicher Natterkopf, Blauer Natternkopf, Natterkopf
hsb: Wšědna hrimanka, Módry kosmač
Hungarian: Terjőke kígyószisz, Kígyószisz
Icelandic: Naðurkollur
Irish: Lus nathrach
Italian: Erba viperina
Japanese: シベナガムラサキ
kab: Ṭaḥṛajaṭ
Korean: 에키움
kw: Naderles, Taves ojyon
Lithuanian: Paprastasis ežeinis
Macedonian: Обична змијоглавка, Волчја опашка
Norwegian Bokmål: Ormehode
Occitan: Bourrage-fèr, Suçamèlo
os: Уохъ
Persian: گل افعی رسمی
Polish: Żmijowiec zwyczajny
Portuguese: Viperina, Erva-viperina
Quechua: Llunku-llunku
Romanian: Iarba șarpelui, Iarba şarpelui
Russian: Синяк обыкновенный
Slovak: Hadinec obyčajný
Slovenian: Navadni gadovec
Spanish: Boninos, Hierba de la víbora, Hierba viborera, Viborera morada, Yapazos, Abalea, Buglosa, Buglosa salvaje
Swedish: Blåeld, Blåtistel, Rävarompa, Rävasvans
Turkish: Adi engerek otu
Ukrainian: Синяк звичайний
Welsh: Gwiberlys, Tafod y bwch

Synonyms

Echium anglicum Huds.
Echium elegans Noë ex Nyman
Echium lacaitae Sennen
Echium laetum Salisb.
Echium lusitanicum Georgi
Echium molle Pett.
Echium monstrosum Schmidt ex Steud.
Echium parviflorum St.-Lag.
Echium schifferi Lange
Echium spinescens G.Klotz
Echium tenoreanum Lacaita
Echium tuberculatum Gilib.
Echium vaudense Gremli
Echium violaceum Stokes
Echium vulgare f. albiflorum Ralph Hoffm.
Echium vulgare f. vulgare
Echium vulgare var. grandiflorum Bertol.
Echium vulgare var. lacaitae (Sennen) O.Bolòs & Vigo
Echium vulgare var. vulgare
Echium wierzbickii Haberle ex Rchb.

Flowers

In flower: May to August (from 10,194 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Annual, Biennial, Perennial
In the US and Canada: Alaska: introduced, Canada: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced, St. Pierre and Miquelon: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Tom Norton, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Tom Erler, CC0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: duffyr, CC0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: martin--birder, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: JackyM59, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Ivo Kruusamägi from Estonian Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Blake Bringhurst, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Daniel Cahen, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Conrad Altmann, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

More in Echium

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.