It is a dark grey, pubescent, glandular-hairy perennial plant with a woody base. Stems are branched, ascending or decumbent, sometimes sparsely villous or hispid. Leaves are 2-9 x 0.3-0.8 cm, linear-lanceolate, entire, undulate, acute to obtuse, and cuneate; lower leaves are petiolate, while the upper are sessile. Flowers are blue with purple spots, tubular and are arranged in terminal, forked spike-like, dense cymes. The fruit is of 2 ovoid, rugose-tuberculate nutlets, enclosed by the persistent calyx ovoid with retuse or notched apex.
Nile Valley North of Nubia (Location: Cairo), Nubia.
South America
Garden weed
Perennial
Height: 20-60 cm
Heliotropium amplexicaule is a species of heliotrope known by several common names, including clasping heliotrope, blue heliotrope, and summer heliotrope. It is native to South America, especially Argentina, but it is known on several other continents where it is an introduced species, and in some areas such as eastern Australia, a noxious weed.
This is a clumpy perennial herb growing branching, hairy stems to about half a meter in maximum height. It has abundant foliage of oblong wavy-edged green leaves four to nine centimeters long. The curving terminal spike inflorescences hold several tiny bright purple flowers with rounded lobes and tubular yellow throats. The fruits are paired rough-surfaced nutlets.
Biological pest control is being investigated for reducing the spread of this plant in New South Wales and surrounding areas in Australia. The blue heliotrope leaf beetle, Deuterocampta quadrijuga, has shown promise, as has the flea beetle now called blue heliotrope flea beetle (Longitarsus spp.).
Heliotropium amplexicaule contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids and is poisonous.[1] This plant competes with desirable pastures and causes toxicity to stock.[2]
Heliotropium amplexicaule is a species of heliotrope known by several common names, including clasping heliotrope, blue heliotrope, and summer heliotrope. It is native to South America, especially Argentina, but it is known on several other continents where it is an introduced species, and in some areas such as eastern Australia, a noxious weed.
This is a clumpy perennial herb growing branching, hairy stems to about half a meter in maximum height. It has abundant foliage of oblong wavy-edged green leaves four to nine centimeters long. The curving terminal spike inflorescences hold several tiny bright purple flowers with rounded lobes and tubular yellow throats. The fruits are paired rough-surfaced nutlets.
Biological pest control is being investigated for reducing the spread of this plant in New South Wales and surrounding areas in Australia. The blue heliotrope leaf beetle, Deuterocampta quadrijuga, has shown promise, as has the flea beetle now called blue heliotrope flea beetle (Longitarsus spp.).
