Family: Boraginaceae Juss.

Anchusa strigosa

Distribution: Eastern Mediterranean, southwestern Asia – southeastern Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Jordan, Israel.

Ecology: It grows in steppes and deserts, also in disturbed sites. It blooms from February to June.

Description: Perennial herb, 40–100 cm tall, with stiff prickles. Stem ascending to erect, branched. Basal leaves oblong-lanceolate, entire, cauline leaves narrower and smaller, alternate. Flowers in axillary and terminal cymes; calyx divided almost to the base into linear lobes, shorter than corolla tube; corolla light blue, dark blue, or white, limb divided into lobes to 1.5 cm in diameter, with 5 scales in throat. The fruits are nutlets, 6–8 mm.

Use: It is used in traditional medicine as an antiseptic, plant is also interesting for biochemical and pharmacological research.

Note: Anchusa strigosa serves as host plant of the beetle Coptosia ganglbaueri.

Anchusa strigosaAnchusa strigosa
Anchusa strigosa
Anchusa strigosaAnchusa strigosa
Anchusa strigosa
Anchusa strigosa
Anchusa strigosa
Anchusa strigosa

These images were taken in Cyprus, Platres (by Ladislav Hoskovec, March 28, 2010) and Syria, Hama (by Věra Svobodová – white form: May 1, 2009).