Transcript Toad Flax Linaria vulgaris (MILL.)

Toad Flax
Linaria vulgaris (MILL.)
Family: Scrophulariacea (skrof-yoo-larr-ee-AY-see-ay) From the Latin
scrofule, meaning scrophula (or scrofula), which is a disease which
this family is suppose to cure.
Genus: Linaria (lin-AR-ee-uh) From the Greek linon and Latin linum
(linaria), meaning flax, which is a reference to the flax-like leaves.
Species: vulgaris (vul-GAIR-iss) Common
Other names include butter and eggs and common toadflax.
Toad Flax
Linaria vulgaris (MILL.)
The name Toadflax originated in the resemblance of the flower to little toads. The
mouth of the flower can open very wide like that of a toad.
The general resemblance of the plant in early summer to a flax plant is the reason for
the “flax” part of the name as well as some common names such as 'flaxweed.'
The mixture of light yellow and orange in the flowers has gained for it the provincial
names of 'butter and eggs' and 'eggs and bacon.' The leaves of the Toadflax also
contain an acrid, rather disagreeable, but not milky juice, which cattle dislike and
therefore do not graze on it. This bitterness gave it another of its common names,
'Gallwort.'
Other common names are fluellin, pattens and clogs, ramsted, snapdragon, churnstaff,
dragon-bushes, brideweed, toad, yellow rod, larkspur lion's mouth, devils' ribbon,
eggs and collops, devil's head, pedlar's basket, gallwort, rabbits, doggies, calves' snout,
buttered haycocks and monkey flower.
Toad Flax
The leaves are long and slender.
Future picture here.
Toadflax is native to Europe. In Altona Forest it is found in
meadows and at the edges near roads and ditches. It probably
arrived in Canada with grain and is now considered a
troublesome weed.
Toad Flax
Toadflax is a perennial with creeping roots. It sends up many blue
green slender, erect stems with few branches. It grows from 30 to
60 cm high with numerous leaves, which are long and narrow.
Both stems and leaves are hairless.
The flowers are dense spikes of showy yellow at the top of the
stems. The corolla resembles a snapdragon, but with a long spur,
and with the lower lip orange. The flower is completely closed
and opens only when forced by large bees such as the humble-bee,
honey-bee, and some wild bees, which are strong enough and
have long tongues to reach the nectar. The flower colour (yellow
and orange) is designed to attract the desired bee visitors The
toadflax blooms from late June to October.
Toadflax fruit is a little rounded, dry capsule, which when ripe,
opens at its top by several valves. The minute seeds are tossed out
by the swaying of the stems. The seeds have a tiny wing which
can carry it away from the parent plant.
Future picture here.
Toad Flax
The larvae of several moths feed on the plant, and several beetles are also found on it.
Toadflax was once grown for medicinal purposes. The fresh plant has a peculiar, disagreeable odour,
which is dissipated by drying. It has a weakly saline, bitter and slightly acrid taste. It is an astringent,
hepatic and detergent. It has been used as a purgative and diuretic which made it useful in the treatment
of jaundice, liver, skin diseases and scrofula (skin disease affecting the lymph nodes).
Fresh leaves or flowers use to be applied as a poultice to haemorrhoids and boiled and made into an
ointment for application to piles, sores, ulcers and skin eruptions. Crushed and mixed with milk, it has
been used to repel some flying insects. The flowers have been used to make a yellow dye.
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