This is an interesting plant which has a number of names including Snake Flower, Blue Thistle and Viper's Herb. The name 'Viper's Bugloss' comes from two words - 'you (Greek for cow or ox) and 'glosso' (Latin meaning tongue). The snake part probably refers to the stem markings which resemble the snake pattern or possibly to the shape of the blue flowers when they appear in Summer which are said to look like a bunch of snake heads and tongues.
It is a plant that pollinators adore and does well in coastal gardens as it is salt-tolerant.
