Echium pininana

Tower of jewels, Tower Of Jewels

Family: Boraginaceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Tower of jewels is a naturalized shrub found in southern North Coast and central Central Coast regions, sporadic in disturbed areas and steep slopes at elevations below 240 meters. Flowering from May to August, this striking plant produces blue flowers with a corolla limb 10 to 13 millimeters in diameter arranged in dense, elongated cylindrical inflorescences over 100 centimeters tall. Growing as a short-lived, once-flowering shrub 2 to 3 meters tall with generally unbranched stems, it develops an impressive stature. Its leaves form a basal rosette of 25 to 50 centimeters, with numerous cauline leaves 10 to 30 centimeters long, lanceolate to widely lance-ovate and sparse-bristly with bulbous-based hairs. The fruit develops as a somewhat brown, prickly structure, adding to the plant's dramatic architectural presence.

Habitat: Disturbed areas, steep slopes

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: < 240 m

Bioregions: s NCo, c CCo, sporadic

California counties: San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Monterey

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.