Boraginaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Varronia spinescens

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Varronia spinescens is a deciduous shrub with long, arching or sprawling branches; it usually grows around 1 - 3 metres tall, occasionally to 6 metres[ 485 Title Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Vol 75 Publication Author Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher Missouri Botanical Garden: Boston. Year 1988 ISBN Description Contains, amongst other things, an article on the flora of Tanzania, a treatment of the genus Xyris and one for the Panamanian Boraginaceae. It can be downloaded from the internet. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. Varronia spinescens has a very wide distribution, large population, is not currently experiencing any major threats and no significant future threats have been identified. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2019)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeS. America - Bolivia, northern Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela; C. America - Panama, north to central Brazil.

HabitatA very widespread, weedy species that can be found in a wide variety of habitats including open disturbed areas and moist ditches along roadsides; at elevations up to 2,000 metres[ 485 Title Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Vol 75 Publication Author Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher Missouri Botanical Garden: Boston. Year 1988 ISBN Description Contains, amongst other things, an article on the flora of Tanzania, a treatment of the genus Xyris and one for the Panamanian Boraginaceae. It can be downloaded from the internet. ]