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Purple Toadflax (Linaria purpurea)

Description

Linaria purpurea is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common name purple toadflax.It is native to Italy, but it can be found growing wild as an introduced species in parts of western North America, including California, western Washington,[6] and British Columbia, and it is cultivated as an ornamental plant. It is a perennial herb growing 30 to 70 centimeters tall with linear leaves 2 to 5 centimeters in length. The inflorescence is a raceme of flowers occupying the top of the stem. The flower is between 1 and 2 centimeters long with five lobes arranged into two lips with a spur at the end. The flower is usually light to medium purple in color. This plant is poisonous to livestock, the larvae of some species of Lepidoptera use this plant as a food source. There is a pale pink cultivar of the species named 'Canon Went'.

Taxonomic tree

  • Domain: Eukarya

    • Kingdom: Plantae

      • Phylum: Magnoliophyta

        • Class: Magnoliopsida

          • Order: Lamiales

            • Family: Plantaginaceae

              • Genus: Linaria