Echium Plantagineum

Echium plantagineum, commonly known as Purple Viper's Bugloss or Paterson's Curse, is a species of Echium, native to western and southern Europe (from southern England south to Iberia and east to the Crimea), northern Africa, and southwestern Asia (east to Georgia). It has also been introduced to Australia, South Africa and United States, where it is an invasive weed. Due to a high concentration of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the shoot, it is poisonous to grazing livestock, especially those with a simple digestive system like horses. The toxins are cumulative in the liver, and death results from too much Paterson's curse in the diet.