The vibrant flowers of this plant brighten the Oceanic Islands House.
An endemic of La Palma in the Canary Islands Echium webbii is one of approximately 70 species from Europe, Asia and Africa, which grow in open forest, steppe, stony hillsides and cliffs. Belonging to the borage family (Boraginaceae), members of the genus bear bristly hairs, typical of the borages. The genus comprises evergreen biennials, perennials and annuals which are rosette-forming. Plants produce panicles or spikes of funnel-shaped flowers ranging in colour from white, yellow, blue or red. In cultivation all species require warm, well-drained conditions. E. webbii (Webb’s viper bugloss) is a shrubby species bearing many dense spikes of intense blue-flowers. This species was first described by the French botanist Auguste-Henri de Coincy (1837-1903), and was named in honour of the English botanist Philip Barker-Webb (1793-1854) who botanised in Brazil, Morocco and Europe, and whose travels included the Canary Islands.