Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum


Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum, the purple gromwell, is a herbaceous perennial rhizomatous plant of the genus Lithospermum, belonging to the family Boraginaceae.

Etymology

The Latin name of the species purpurocaeruleum means purple and blue, referred to the changing colour of the flowers with the progress of flowering.

Description

Lithospermum purpurocaerula is a bushy plant that reaches on average of height, with a maximum of. The stem is hairy, erect and unbranched. Leaves are dark green and lanceolate to narrow elliptic, with a prominent midrib on the underside. Flowers are hermaphroditic, funnel-shaped, long and of diameter, clustered in a racemose inflorescence. The blossoms are purple-reddish, then the color of the flowers turns into a deep blue. The flowering period extends from April to June. The fruits are bright white capsules, long, with a glossy surface. They are very hard.

Distribution

This species is widespread in British Isles, in central Europe up to South Russia and in Mediterranean countries from Spain to the eastern Turkey.

Habitat

These plants occur in dry and warm forests with sparse deciduous vegetation, in the meadows on the edge of the wood, in hedgerows and scrublands. They prefer calcareous soils rich in humus, at an altitude of above sea level.