European Heliotrope

(Heliotropium europaeum)

 

Color Photograph: Courtesy of Wikispecies, photographer unknown

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

European Heliotrope (Heliotropium europaeum)

Alien: Native of Europe.

Identification: Flowers small, blue or white, with 5 petals fused to form a tubular corolla with free lobes at the apex. Flowers arranged in strongly curled sprays. Stem and leaves covered with downy hairs. Leaves ovate, tapering at either end, and with smooth outer margins. Plant 6 to 30 inches in height.

Distribution: New Jersey and southward to Florida. Also found escaped from cultivation elsewhere in North America.

Habitat: European Heliotrope is a weedy species of disturbed habitats such as roadsides, fields, and empty lots.

Flowering period: June to September.

European Heliotrope (Heliotropium europaeum)

Similar Species:

Seaside Heliotrope (Heliotropium curassavicum)

 

Similar Species