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Lithospermum purpureocoeruleum

(Gromwell)

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Gromwell

Description

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Family Boraginaceae

Herbs perennial , biennial, or annual , less often lianas, shrubs , or trees , usually bristly or scabrous-pubescent. Leaves simple , exstipulate , alternate, rarely opposite, entire or serrate at margin . Inflorescences often double scorpioid cymes, rarely solitary; bracts present or absent. Flowers bisexual , actinomorphic , rarely zygomorphic. Calyx usually 5-parted or lobed , mostly persistent . Corolla tubular , campanulate , rotate, funnelform , or salverform ; tube appendages 5, rarely more, mostly trapeziform, rarely absent, sometimes a ring of hairs present; limb usually 5-parted; lobes overlapping, rarely twisted in bud. Stamens 5, inserted on corolla tube or rarely at throat , included or rarely exserted; anthers introrse , 2-loculed, usually dorsifixed at base , less often medifixed , dehiscence longitudinal . Nectaries at base of corolla tube or on disc below ovary. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate; locules 2 and each with 2 ovules, or 4 and each with 1 ovule; ovules nearly atropous , semianatropous, or anatropous . Style terminal or gynobasic , branched or not. Gynobase flat, fastigiate , or subulate . Fruit 1-4-seeded drupes or nutlets (mericarps) ; nutlets mostly dry, often ornamented with wings , prickles and/or glochids (stiff bristles with barbed or anchorlike tips ) . Seeds vertical or oblique , coat membranous; embryo straight, less often curved ; cotyledons flat, fleshy .

About 156 genera and 2500 species: temperate and tropical regions , centered in the Mediterranean region; 47 genera and 294 species in China, of which four genera and 156 species are endemic.[1]

Genus Lithospermum

Herbs annual or perennial , short strigose . Leaves alternate. Cymes terminal or flowers solitary, bracteate . Calyx 5-parted nearly to base , slightly enlarged in fruit. Corolla white, yellow, or violet, actinomorphic , funnelform or salverform ; throat with appendages or bands of hairs , or longitudinally crispate ; limb usually campanulate , 5-parted; lobes spreading . Stamens included ; filament very short; anthers oblong-linear, apex obtuse , mucronulate . Style filiform , not exserted; stigma entire or indistinctly 2-cleft, capitate. Gynobase flat. Nutlets white or gray, ovoid , smooth , shiny or tuberculate ; attachment scar at base adaxially.

About 50 species: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America; five species in China.[2]

Physical Description

Habit: Evergreen .

Flowers: Bloom Period: March, April, May. • Flower Color: medium blue

Size/Age/Growth

Size: under 6" tall.

Biology

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Growth

Soil: Minimum pH: 5.6 • Maximum pH: 7.5

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade.

Taxonomy

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Similar Species

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Members of the genus Lithospermum

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 27 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

L. arvense arvense (Field Gromwell) · L. californicum (California Gromwell) · L. calycosum (Chinati Gromwell) · L. canescens (Gromwell) · L. caroliniense (Carolina Gromwell) · L. caroliniense var. caroliniense (Carolina Puccoon) · L. caroliniense var. croceum (Carolina Puccoon) · L. cobrense (Mountain Gromwell) · L. confine (Arizona Gromwell) · L. diffusum (Scrambling Gromwell) · L. erythrorhizon (Lithospermum) · L. incisum (Fringed Gromwell) · L. latifolium (American Gromwell) · L. matamorense (Rough Gromwell) · L. mirabile (San Antonio Gromwell) · L. multiflorum (Many-Flowered Gromwell) · L. obtusifolium (Rounded-Leaf Gromwell) · L. officinale (European Gromwell) · L. parksii (Parks Stoneseed) · L. parksii I.M.Johnst. var. parksii I.M.Johnst. (Parks' Gromwell) · L. parksii I.M.Johnst. var. rugulosum I.M.Johnst. (Parks' Gromwell) · L. parksii var. parksii (Parks' Stoneseed) · L. parksii var. rugulosum (Parks Stoneseed) · L. purpureocoeruleum (Gromwell) · L. ruderale (Columbia Puccoon) · L. tuberosum (Tuberous Gromwell) · L. viride (American Bugleweed)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Gelin Zhu, Harald Riedl & Rudolf V. Kamelin "Boraginaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 16 Page 329. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. "Lithospermum". in Flora of China Vol. 16 Page 342. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 2012-07-21