Thank you , John. I am familiar with a number of echium species but none that are no taller than about 7-9 inches (17-23 cm) tall. The two men I was with seemed to understand my hand signal questions as to whether it was from a bulb or not and nodded their heads affirmatively when I said 'bulb' and "Zwiebel" in German. Not sure which of these they understood. Alas, we were unable to stop at that site. These men were protea growers and did know their native plants rather well but used Afrikaans terms for everything. Andrew San Diego Was it definitely bulbous? I think there's a weedy purple Echium thereabouts. John Grimshaw Dr. John M. Grimshaw Sycamore Cottage Colesbourne Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 9NP