Flower profile
Viper's-bugloss
Echium vulgare
Viper's-bugloss is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states. In West Virginia it's most often seen in bloom in May–August.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: West Virginia
Quick look
Echium vulgare, known as viper's bugloss and blueweed, is a species of flowering plant in the borage family Boraginaceae. It is native to most of Europe and western and central Asia and it occurs as an introduced species in north-eastern North America, south-western South America and the South and North Island of New Zealand.
- It belongs to the Boraginaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual, biennial, perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 42 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as not native to West Virginia. NatureServe
- In West Virginia, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–August. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 593 research-grade sightings of it in West Virginia, ranking #55 among the 110 flowers on our West Virginia list. iNaturalist
Viper's-bugloss gift ideas
Handmade viper's-bugloss gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Viper's-bugloss art print
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Viper's-bugloss greeting card
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Viper's-bugloss mug
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Viper's-bugloss earrings
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Viper's-bugloss embroidery pattern
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Viper's-bugloss sticker
When does it bloom?
In West Virginia, most flowering sightings come in May–August.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. NatureServe
- West Virginia
- No list West Virginia has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (only federally listed species are protected), so we show NatureServe's West Virginia ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in West Virginia.
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
NC State Extension lists it as poisonous to humans (severity: medium). Poisonous parts: bark, flowers, fruits, leaves, roots, sap/juice, seeds, stems. Symptoms they list: “CAUSES ONLY LOW TOXICITY IF EATEN. SKIN IRRITATION MINOR, OR LASTING ONLY FOR A FEW MINUTES. CAUSES SEVERE PAIN IN THE MOUTH IF EATEN! Digestive upset and liver damage as well as skin irritation from the coarse hairs. It is toxic to livestock due to a buildup…” NC State Extension
ASPCA's entry “Viper's Bugloss (Echium vulgare)” (Echium vulgare) lists it as toxic to horses. Signs include: Horses: liver disease (must be ingested in large amount or over a long time period) Credit: G.A. Cooper, courtesy of Smithsonian… ASPCA
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records viper's-bugloss in 42 states plus Washington, D.C.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming; District of Columbia.
West Virginia counties with USDA records: Barbour, Berkeley, Boone, Brooke, Fayette, Grant, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Hardy, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Kanawha, Marshall, McDowell, Mercer, Monongalia, Morgan, Ohio, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Raleigh, Randolph, Summers, Tucker, Wayne, Wetzel, Wyoming.
More West Virginia flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ECVU.
- iNaturalist, Echium vulgare: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Echium vulgare (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- West Virginia: West Virginia noxious weeds (W. Va. Code R. § 61-14A-5) (the rule abbreviates some names (e.g. “P. cuspidatum”); we expand them to match).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Echium vulgare (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension; ASPCA.
- Photo: Evan M. Raskin via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.