Anchusa strigosa, Prickly Alkanet,
Hebrew: לשון-פר סמורה, Arabic: لسان الثور / حمحم

Scientific name:		Anchusa strigosa Banks et Solander
Common name:		Prickly Alkanet
Hebrew name:		לשון-פר סמורה
Arabic name:		لسان الثور / حمحم
Family:		Boraginaceae, זיפניים

Life form:		Hemicryptophyte
Spinescence:		Emergences
Stems:		Stout tuberculate-strigose; a few 40-100 cm long stems; very variable as far as the numbers of prickles on the stem is concerned
Leaves:		Alternate, rosette, entire
Flowers:		Light blue, dark blue, white
Fruits / pods:		Nutlets 6-8 x 2-3 mm, oblong, erect
Flowering Period:		March, April, May, June
Habitat:		Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:		Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Deserts and extreme deserts
Chorotype:		Med - Irano-Turanian
Summer shedding:		Perennating

Derivation of the botanical name: Anchusa, αγχουσα, a plant used for cosmetic as a rouge. strigosa, striga, a straight rigid close-pressed rather short bristle-like hair; strigosa - covered with strigae, bristled. The Hebrew name: לשון-פר, lashon-par, 'ox-tongue', the leaves have raised spots with short, hooked bristles, giving the leaves a very rough feeling (like an ox’s tongue, hence the name). The standard author abbreviation Banks is used to indicate Joseph Banks (1743 – 1820), a British naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. The standard author abbreviation Solander is used to indicate Daniel Solander (1733 – 1782), a Swedish botanist. See the list of Medicinal herbs in Israel, the parts used and their medical uses to treat various diseases.