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SF Flower Box Award: Berkeley, 6th Street and Allston

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Wow...we're a bit floored by this beauty of a plant. More photos and jaw-dropping below the jump...

 
 
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Anyone have any idea what this is? We just spotted this during a mid-day stroll and we're not sure if we're frightened or enamored of this insane plant.

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Flower Box Awards, gardening, plants & flowers

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Comments (5)

It is a variety of Echium. It comes is several colors often seen in the wild in a dazzling purple.

posted by telechick on April 16th 2008 at 9:31am
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Echium pininana

Common names are: Tower of Jewels or 'Pride of Tenerife'

it's a member of the Borage family that is native to the Canary Islands. Downside is that can be invasive (lots of little plants the next year...)

posted by gwalabu on April 16th 2008 at 10:00am
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I love borage. I let it self sow in the backyard. The flowers are great in salad.

posted by Renngrrl on April 16th 2008 at 10:54am
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Crazy thought, but have you ever witnessed a large sunflower dying off? It is almost human the way they hang their heads and slowly crouch over. Echium can be equally as sorrowful.

posted by telechick on April 16th 2008 at 3:05pm
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this reminds me of the little pink cactus i bought at home depot last week. does anyone know how often to water? will it grow?

posted by sanriofreak on April 16th 2008 at 3:18pm
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