Echium (Boraginaceae) The genus Echium has around 40 species in the Mediterranean region and South Africa. Most are annuals or short-lived perennials, but in the Canary Islands and Madeira there are evergreen shrubby species as well as giant, single-stemmed woody biennials. Several species have naturalized elsewhere, notably in South Africa, where E. candicans from Madeira is often seen apparently wild.