Flowers in Israel: Common alkanet

Anchusa undulata, Anchusa hybrida, Common alkanet,
Hebrew: לשון-פר מצויה, Arabic: حمحم , بنفسجي

Scientific name:   Anchusa undulata L.
Synonym name:   Anchusa hybrida Ten.
Common name:   Common alkanet
Hebrew name:   לשון-הפר המצויה ,לשון-פר מצוי
Arabic name:   حمحم , بنفسجي
Family:   Boraginaceae, זיפניים


Life form:   Hemicryptophyte
Stems:   Pubescent and hispid with both short and long hairs or satae; stems 10-50 cm, erect or ascending
Leaves:   Alternate, rosette, entire, smooth
Flowers:   Purple, violet
Fruits /Pods:   Nutlets c.2×3-4 mm, obliquely ovoid
Flowering Period:   March, April, May
Habitat:   Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:   Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon
Chorotype:   Mediterranean
Summer shedding:   Ephemeral


Derivation of the botanical name:

Anchusa, αγχουσα, a plant used for cosmetic as a rouge.

undulata, waved, wavy; wavy-margined, wavy-leaved, wavy edged.
hybrida, mongrel, hybrid.
The Hebrew name: לשון-פר, lashon-par, ‘ox-tongue’, the leaves have raised spots with short, hooked bristles, giving the leaves a very rough feeling (like an ox’s tongue, hence the name).

  • The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
  • The standard author abbreviation Ten. is used to indicate Michele Tenore (1780–1861), an Italian botanist.