Linaria vulgaris, the common toadflax,[1][2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae, native to Europe, and northern, central and eastern Asia.[3] It has also been introduced to North America and is now common there.[4]
Linaria vulgaris subsp. vulgaris — Europe, northern Asia
Linaria vulgaris subsp. chinensis(Bunge ex Debeaux) D.Y.Hong — eastern Asia (China, Korea)
Linaria vulgaris subsp. pinetorumKosachev — Altai Mountains of central Asia
The closely related Linaria acutilobaFisch. from central and northeastern Asia,[5] is treated by the Flora of China as an additional subspecies, Linaria vulgaris subsp. acutiloba(Fisch.) D.Y.Hong.[6]
Description
Linaria vulgaris subsp. vulgaris in Oslo, Norway
It is a perennial plant with short spreading roots, erect to decumbent stems 15–90cm (6–35in) high, with fine, threadlike, glaucous blue-green leaves2–8cm (3⁄4–3+1⁄4in) long and 1–5mm (0.04–0.20in) broad. The flowers are similar to those of the snapdragon but smaller and slenderer, 25–33mm (0.98–1.30in) long, pale yellow except for an area of the lower tip which is variably orange-yellow toned, borne in dense terminal racemes from mid summer to mid autumn (June to October in Britain).[2][7] The flowers are mostly visited by bumblebees.[8] Rarely, symmetrical five-spurred peloric flowers can be found.[2] The fruit is a oblong to globose capsule5–11mm (0.20–0.43in) long and 5–7mm (0.20–0.28in) broad, containing numerous small seeds.[2]
Ecology
Pollination by garden bumblebee
The plant is widespread on ruderal spots, along roads, in dunes, and on disturbed and cultivated land.[2]
Because the flower is largely closed by its underlip, pollination requires strong insects such as bees and bumblebees (Bombus species).[2]
While most commonly found as a wildflower, toadflax is sometimes cultivated for cut flowers, which are long-lasting in a vase. Like the related snapdragons (Antirrhinum), they are often grown in children's gardens for the "snapping" flowers which can be made to "talk" by squeezing them at the base of the corolla.[11]
The plant requires ample drainage, but is otherwise adaptable to a variety of conditions. It has escaped from cultivation in North America where it is now naturalised in many U.S. states and Canadian provinces, common on roadsides and in poor soils,.[12]
Traditional medicine
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2025)
The species has a long history of use in traditional medicine; information is available in Barker (2001).[9][13]
Other names
Because this plant grows as a weed, it has acquired a large number of local colloquial names, including brideweed, bridewort, butter and eggs (but see Lotus corniculatus),[4] butter haycocks, bread and butter, bunny haycocks, bunny mouths, calf's snout, Continental weed, dead men's bones, devil's flax, devil's flower, doggies, dragon bushes, eggs and bacon (but see Lotus corniculatus), eggs and butter, false flax, flaxweed, fluellen (but see Kickxia), gallweed, gallwort, impudent lawyer, Jacob's ladder (but see Polemonium), lion's mouth, monkey flower (but see Mimulus), North American ramsted, rabbit flower, rancid, ransted, snapdragon (but see Antirrhinum), wild flax, wild snapdragon, wild tobacco (but see Nicotiana), yellow rod, and yellow toadflax.[11]
1 2 3 4 5 6 Blamey, Marjorie; Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). The Illustrated Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. Hodder & Stoughton. p.358. ISBN0-340-40170-2.
↑ Britton, Nathaniel Lord; Brown, Addison (1970) [first published 1913]. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Vol.3. Dover Publications. p.177. ISBN0-486-22642-5.
↑ Barker, Julian (2001). The medicinal flora of Britain and Northwestern Europe. West Wickham: Winter Press. ISBN978-1-874581-63-5.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
