Plant in full to part day sun where it is drought tolerant and hardy to short duration temperatures to about 25 degrees F. This showy plant occupies a large space, so give it some room and is particularly useful in seaside gardens.

As the common name Pride of Madeira implies, this species comes from and is endemic to the island of Madeira, where it grows on rocky cliffs and terraces between 2,500 and 4,600 feet in the Central Mountain Massif. The genus name is from an ancient Greek word for the plant. It is derived from 'echion' with the root word 'echis' meaning "viper" but the reason for this has several interpretations. Included among these are the shape of the seed resembling that of a viper's head and from the age-old belief that Echium vulgare, a plant called Viper's Bugloss, was a remedy for the adder's bite. For more information on the species see our listing for called Echium candicans.

Echium 'Star of Madeira' is a cutting grown selection that was made by Lance Reiners, the Paintbox Plantsman in Albion, CA. We purchased our first 4-inch pot of this wonderful plant at the 2003 San Francisco Garden Show for $100 from vendor Lawrence Lee and it has been an extremely popular plant ever since. It occasionally sports off plants with different variegation. One particularly interesting form with lime green and gray green foliage we named 'Starburst'. 

The information displayed on this page about Echium candicans 'Star of Madeira' is based on the research we have conducted about it in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about this plant as it grows in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant have performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we have received from others and welcome hearing from anyone with information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information that will aid others to better grow it.