Lithospermum purpureocaeruleum Purple Gromwell

An rare perennial with roughly hairy leaves and attractive, dark-purple flowers which are present in late spring and early summer. It is a strict calcicole which usually grows in shady places, often in shrubby areas on limestone cliffs. In West Glamorgan it is found in open scrub on the coastal limestone cliffs of south Gower. Elsewhere in Wales it is only found on the Oolytic limestone of the Vale of Glamorgan and in two sites in mid and north Wales. In Britain as a whole it has a scattered southern distribution and it is absent from Ireland. Plants spread by seed but are also capable of vegetative spread via rooted stem segments. While it is undoubtedly native in many of its locations (including all those in Gower), it can also occur as a garden escape. 

Native

This species is now known as Aegonychon purpureocaeruleum (L) Holub