Viper's bugloss flower stalks. Bare flower spikes of common viper's bugloss (Echium vulgare) plants. These spikes, which can grow to over a metre, would have carried dozens of small, blue flowers. Viper's bugloss grows in uncultivated fields and road verges, in low-lying areas. It is native to Europe but has been introduced to North America where it is classed as a noxious weed. It flowers from May to September. The name derives from the traditional belief that it was a remedy for snake bites.