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Anchusa azurea

Common name:	Anchusa	Family:	Boraginaceae
Author:	Mill.	Botanical references:	45, 200
Synonyms:	Anchusa italica (Retz.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Europe - Caucasus. An occasional garden escape in Britain[17].
Habitat:	Sides of arable fields, waste places, roadsides and steppes on stony hills[45, 187].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Bugloss [H], Italian Bugloss [P,B], Large Blue Alkanet [L], Lengua De Buey [E], Lsan Al Thor [E], Quzu Dili [E], Ward Laan Al Thor [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	azurea = the color of deep blue;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Lamiales. Borage family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Iraq; Spain; Turkey

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1.5m by 0.6m . It is hardy to zone 3. It is in flower from June to August, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. It is noted for attracting wildlife. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Flowers; Leaves.

Flowers - raw. An excellent and decorative addition to the salad bowl, or used as a garnish[183].
The tender young leaves and young flowering shoots can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable[7].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antitussive; Depurative; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Poultice.

The whole plant is antitussive, depurative, diaphoretic and diuretic[7]. It is harvested when in flower and dried for later use. The dried and powdered herb is used as a poultice to treat inflammations[7]. Use internally with caution, the plant contains the alkaloid cynoglossine which can have a paralyzing effect[7].

Other Uses

Dye.

A red dye is obtained from the root[7]. This was at one time used as a basis for some cosmetics[7].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in most soils, preferring a sunny position[1, 111]. Prefers a fertile well-drained soil[111]. Tolerates heavy clay[200]. Requires a deep well-drained soil[187]. Established plants tolerate drought[187].
Plants are hardy to about -15°c[187].
The flowers are a good source of food for bees[1].
Many named forms have been selected for their ornamental value[187]. The plants tend to be short-lived perennials but they can be propagated by means of root cuttings[187].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in pots of sandy soil[200]. An overnight drop in temperature helps germination[133]. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 4 weeks at 21°c[133]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division in early spring[200].
Root cuttings in autumn or early winter. Late winter is best[200].

Cultivars

'': There are some named forms for this species, but these have been developed for their ornamental value and not for their other uses. Unless you particularly require the special characteristics of any of these cultivars, we would generally recommend that you grow the natural species for its useful properties. We have, therefore, not listed the cultivars in this database[K].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Anchusa italica (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for the family Boraginaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[45] Polunin. O. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Oxford University Press 1980 ISBN 0-19-217626-9
A good pocket flora, it also lists quite a few plant uses.

[111] Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926
A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.

[133] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan. 1987
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Anchusa+azurea
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