[210] Linaria vulgaris, Toadflax

[210] Linaria vulgaris, Common Toadflax

Introduction

Linaria vulgaris, Common Toadflax or Yellow Toadflax, is a wild plant with bright yellow and orange flowers, which is also cultivated as a garden plant. It may also be called Butter and Eggs.

All 150 species of Linaria may be called Toadflax, including Linaria purpurea, Purple Loosestrife, sometimes cultivated as a garden plant. Sometimes the whole tribe Antirrhineae may be called toadflax.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Plants

Division – Vascular Plants

Class – Angiosperms (Flowering Plants)

Order – Lamiales

Family – Plantaginaceae

Tribe – Antirrhineae

Genus – Linaria

Scientific Name – Linaria vulgaris

Recent analysis has moved this plant from the family Scrophulariaceae

Name

As we saw in [110] Ivy-leaved Toadflax, the name comes from a misunderstanding. One or more types of these plants were traditionally used to treat bubonic plague and the word bubo was confused with bufo, the Latin for toad.

Linaria is derived from Linum, the genus name and Latin word for flax, (cognate of course with linseed,) which has similar foliage to some species. 

Description

Linaria vulgaris is a relatively small plant with long thin, sometimes glaucous leaves, somewhat similar to Flax.

The flowers, which appear in a group on a short stem, are similar to the familiar garden plant Snapdragon, Antirhhinum majus, but much smaller. They are pale yellow with a bright orange centre that gives them the name Butter and Eggs.

Habitat and use

Linaria vulgaris is native to Europe and parts of Asia, where it grows as a common wildflower or weed. It has been introduced to North America where it is now common.

It has in the past been a traditional remedy for many ailments but I’m beginning to think that this true for almost every common weed.

See also

Linaria purpurea, Purple Toadflax, native to the Mediterranean, is grown as an ornamental garden plant. Its taller stems have many purple-coloured flowers.

I have seen this plant apparently growing wild so it is probably in the process of becoming naturalized.

Other close relatives are the Snapdragon, as noted above, and Ivy-leaved Toadflax.