Uniquely identifiable characteristics: A narrow but tallish (to 1 metre) plant that is roughly hairy with a single and very impressive spire of brilliant blue varying to purple flowers close to the stem. Quite a display! Often in clumps. Note the four or five reddish-purple stamens rudely protruding bearing a ball of grey-blue pollen on the tip, and an even longer pinkish style with a short forked tip.

Some similarities to: Purple Viper's Bugloss but that is only found near Land's End.

It can be an invasively-spreading nuisance plant in some other countries. Just like Ragweed, Vipers Bugloss also contains pyrrolidizine alkaloids which on ingestion are toxic to the liver.

The plant has both stiff hairs and fine hairs. The stiff hairs are bristly enough to pierce skin and cause severe dermatitis.

Viper's Bugloss, like many other plants of Genus Echium, contain toxic pyrrolidizine alkaloids (PAs). PAs are mutagenic and carcinogenic as well as hepatoxic, poisoning the liver.

Due to its poisonous alkaloid content, it was once an important treatment for snake venom, in particular bites from Vipers (hence the name).

The root yields a red fabric dye.

A PYRROLIDIZINE ALKALOID

Heliosupine is an open diester pyrrollizidine alkaloid contained within Viper's Bugloss which has been associated with the poisoning of sheep and cattle (who have eaten it) resulting in toxic cirrhosis of the liver, and resembles poisoning by Ragwort, which contains a plethora of other pyrrolizidine alkaloids including cynoglossine. Pyrrollizidine alkaloids become activated in the liver. They alkylate DNA molecules and are mutagenic, teratogenic, carcinogenic and hepatotoxic. Sheep poisoning by this weed has been observed in Australia.

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