873. Echium Nervosum

Abstract

The Madeiran endemic Echium nervosum W.T. Aiton is illustrated based on plants grown at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Its ecology; phylogenetic and taxonomic placement, and conservation status are discussed. Twenty-nine species of Echium are endemic to the Macaronesian Islands and they represent one of the most spectacular and best known examples of adaptive radiation on oceanic islands.