Plants · La Saladita, Guerrero

Scorpion's-tail

Heliotropium angiospermum

Spanish: Alacrancillo

Heliotropium angiospermum, common name scorpion's tail or scorpion-tail, is a flowering plant in the Heliotropium genus and Boraginaceae (Borage) family. An annual or short-lived perennial it grows in Florida and Texas into Mexico as well as on various islands in arid lowlands. Its nectar is sought-out by butterflies and also provides food for bees and birds. The stems terminate in scorpioid inflorescences.

TaxonomyMagnoliopsida › Boraginales › Boraginaceae

Local records10 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)

Global records7,410 on iNaturalist

Most recent records2021 – 2023

Months of the 8 most recent records

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Recent local sightings

2023-06-24 — observation by zihuadean
2023-04-18 — observation by daniel_brito
2023-01-25 — observation by zihuadean
2022-11-08 — observation by dale_denham_logsdon
2022-10-27 — observation by zihuadean
2022-01-06 — observation by zihuadean

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Plants guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Scorpion's-tail (Heliotropium angiospermum) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/heliotropium-angiospermum/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.