Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Lithospermum purpureocaeruleum

Other Names

Blue Gromwell

Family

Boraginaceae

Flowering season

April to June

English distribution

Native populations are found in the Southwest.

Populations derived from garden escapes are scattered

in the South and East.

See the BSBI distribution map for Purple Gromwell

Habitat

It grows in undercliffs and scrub by the coast.

Inland it grows in open woodland, on banks and by tracks.

The garden escape grows by roads and on waste ground.

Description

Purple Gromwell is a native, attractive, hairy, perennial

herb, growing up to 60cm.

The flower buds are reddish-purple and the flowers are a

vivid dark blue.

Flowers are up to 15mm across and the 5 petal lobes are

folded and hairy and form a funnel.

The 5 stamens are inserted within the corollary funnel.

The style is above the stamens and has a 2-lobed stigma.

Fruits are white nutlets (not shown).

Leaves are narrow-lanceolate and up to 7cm.

Stems are hairy, creeping and root at the nodes.