Echium virescens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Echium virescens |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Echium
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| Species: |
virescens
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Echium virescens is a beautiful flowering plant. It belongs to the Echium group. This plant grows only on the island of Tenerife. You can mostly find it in areas like Macizo de Anaga and the Orotava Valley. It likes to grow in forests and on the lower, sunny slopes of the island.
What Does Echium virescens Look Like?
This plant is a type of herb. This means it has soft stems, not woody ones like a tree. It can grow quite tall, up to 2 meters (about 6.5 feet)! Echium virescens loves lots of sunshine and needs soil that drains water well.
It's a bushy plant with many branches. Its leaves grow in a circular pattern called a rosette. From these rosettes, several dense, cylinder-shaped flower clusters grow upwards. These flower clusters are called inflorescences. The tops of these flower clusters are forked, meaning they split into two. This is different from a similar plant, Echium webbii, which has simpler flower tops.
The plant has many leaves that are a green-grey color. These leaves are thick and stay on the plant for a long time. They are shaped like a spear, wider at the bottom and narrower at the top. You'll find hairs on both sides of the leaves.
The flowers of Echium virescens are usually pale blue or pink. They bloom from late winter to early spring. The small leaf-like parts that protect the flower bud, called sepals, are joined together at their base.
How Do People Use Echium virescens?
This plant is often grown in gardens because it's so pretty. It's also very helpful for beekeeping. Bees love this plant because its flowers are full of pollen and nectar. These are important foods for bees!
Images for kids
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A full view of Echium virescens.
