Blue Weed

Northern Advocate, 29 November 1947, Page 3

Blue Weed

Blue weed. Echium violaceum, is a coarse, hairy herbaceous, sometimes shrubby, annual or biennial plant, reaching a height of from one to three feet. The flowers are borne at the ends of the stalks in the form of a slightly coiled spike.. They are generally blue, with a pink touch in the unopened bud. I notice that several gardeners have this plant in their gardens. In New South Wales, blue weed, or Paterson’s Curse, as it is called' there, is scheduled as a bad weed, jits natural distribution is from Spain to Greece. It was introduced into NSW by Mr Paterson. It was quite a few years before the plant got over the fence, but once over, it spread very rapidly. I see no reason why it, would not do the same in Northland, if given the chance. The weed’s worst mature is that it chokes out all other vegetation; and when it dies, the ground is left black and unprofitable. (See "I he Weeds of N.5.W.,” Maiden.) All local specimens should be rooted out and burned.