Heliotropium europaeum
Encyclopedia
Heliotropium europaeum is a species of heliotrope
known by the common names European Heliotrope and European Turnsole. It is native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, but it is widely naturalized
elsewhere, such as in Australia and North America. It grows as a roadside weed in some places. This is an annual herb growing from a taproot
and reaching maximum heights near 40 centimeters. The stem and oval-shaped leaves are covered in soft hairs. The inflorescence
s are coiled spikes of white flowers with fuzzy or bristly sepal
s. Each flower is just a few millimeters wide. The fruit is a bumpy nutlet.
Heliotropium
Heliotropium is a genus of flowering plants in the borage family, Boraginaceae. There are 250 to 300 species in this genus, which are commonly known as heliotropes ....
known by the common names European Heliotrope and European Turnsole. It is native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, but it is widely naturalized
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
elsewhere, such as in Australia and North America. It grows as a roadside weed in some places. This is an annual herb growing from a taproot
Taproot
A taproot is an enlarged, somewhat straight to tapering plant root that grows vertically downward. It forms a center from which other roots sprout laterally.Plants with taproots are difficult to transplant...
and reaching maximum heights near 40 centimeters. The stem and oval-shaped leaves are covered in soft hairs. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s are coiled spikes of white flowers with fuzzy or bristly sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s. Each flower is just a few millimeters wide. The fruit is a bumpy nutlet.