After the 2003 Canberra bushfires a large bloom of the plant occurred on the burned land, and many horses became ill and died from grazing on it.
In parliament, he campaigned for a subsidy for dairy exports to be paid for by a tax on Australian consumers and known by opponents as "Paterson's Curse" (referring to the Australian name for Echium plantagineum).
Echium | ''Echium plantagineum'' flowers in spring growing adjacent to the freeway at Crafers, South Australia | Echium plantagineum | A field of ''Echium plantagineum'' near Shepparton |