Língua-de-Vaca (Echium vulcanorum)

This Echium is native to the island of Fogo. A highly branched, compact shrub, up to 1.5-2 m. Leaves are lanceolate, up to 10 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, light green or silver and covered in silky down. Inflorescences are dense, conical and generally white, although they can be blue. It occupies young volcanic terrain over a broad range of from 380-2,400 m, but flourishes above 1,800 m, on the edges of the caldera of Chã das Caldeiras and Pico Novo volcano. A species in decline from traditional uses, particularly as firewood, it is currently classified as an endangered species. However, the protection afforded in its main distribution area within Fogo Nature Park guarantees its conservation.