Linaria purpurea
| Linaria purpurea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Linaria purpurea in Aspromonte, southern Italy | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Plantaginaceae |
| Genus: | Linaria |
| Species: | L. purpurea |
| Binomial name | |
| Linaria purpurea | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Linaria purpurea or purple toadflax is a purple-flowered plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae, endemic to central and southern regions of Italy including Sicily.[1][2][3]
It is widely planted in gardens and is also naturalised in several other temperate regions globally.[1][4]
Description
_-_Flickr_-_gailhampshire.jpg)
It is a perennial herbaceous plant growing 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) tall (rarely to 1.2 m) with erect stems bearing glabrous, glaucous grey-green linear leaves 2–4.5 cm long and 2–3 mm broad. The inflorescence is a raceme of flowers occupying the top of the stem. The flower is between 8–13 mm long with five lobes arranged into two lips with a 3–6 mm spur at the end. The flower is usually dark purple or violet, rarely pale or even white. The flowering season is long, from April to October. The fruit is a capsule.[2][3][5][6] Plants at high altitude have broader leaves, up to 10 mm wide; these have been described as L. purpurea var. montana Caruel, but as the variation is continuous, this is not accepted as a valid taxon.[2]
Range
It is endemic to central and southern Italy, in Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Marche, Molise, Puglia, Sicily, Toscana, and Umbria.[7] It occurs naturally in cliffs, scree, woodland edges, and on uncultivated land. It has a wide environmental range, growing from sea level up to 1,900 m, and up to 2,500 m on Gran Sasso d'Italia.[3][2]
Non-native range
It is naturalised in Europe north of its native range in Italy in Veneto,[7] and in Germany, Great Britain, and Ireland, in western North America from California north to British Columbia, in South America in Argentina, and in New Zealand.[1] It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant.[4][8]
In Britain it is sometimes regarded as a weed, spreading readily on stony waste ground and walls, although it is tolerated for its attractive, long-lasting flowers which are very attractive to bees.[9]
Cultural value
Because of its wide range in Italy and status as an Italian endemic species, combined with its beauty, it has been suggested as a floral emblem for the country.[2]
Toxicity and chemistry
This plant is poisonous to livestock, though ruminants may tend to avoid consuming it. The larvae of some species of Lepidoptera (butterflies) use this plant as a food source.[11] In a recent study conducted in Italy the plant was found to contain a compound exhibiting antifungal activity, which drastically reduced the production of aflatoxin B1 in Aspergillus flavus Link., making it a potential natural and 'green' anti-aflatoxin B1 agent suitable for use in the food industry.[12]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Linaria purpurea (L.) Mill". Plants of the World Online. 2020-07-13. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Linaria purpurea". florae.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- 1 2 3 "Linaria purpurea – Lucoli Flora e Fauna". Lucoli Flora e Fauna (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- 1 2 "Purple Toadflax Linaria purpurea (L.) Mill". PlantAtlas. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ Blamey, Marjorie; Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). The illustrated flora of Britain and northern Europe. London: Hodder & Stoughton. pp. 358–359. ISBN 0-340-40170-2.
- ↑ Streeter, David; Hart-Davies, Christina (2009). Collins flower guide: the most complete guide to the flowers of Britain and Europe. London: HarperCollins. pp. 414–415. ISBN 978-0-00-718389-0.
- 1 2 "Portale della Flora d'Italia / Portal to the Flora of Italy". dryades.units.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ Kemper Garden Center
- ↑ "Alys Fowler: toadflax". The Guardian. 2013-04-27. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
- ↑ "Linaria purpurea 'Canon Went' | purple toadflax 'Canon Went' Herbaceous Perennial/RHS Gardening".
- ↑ "Purple Toadflax - Linaria purpurea, species information page". Brickfields Country Park. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
- ↑ "Phytochemical analysis of Linaria purpurea (L.) Mill. and inhibitory activity on the production of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in Aspergillus flavus Link. of one of its metabolites, antirrhinoside". Frezza, C., Venditti, A., Marcucci, E. and Parroni, A. Industrial Crops and Products Vol. 139, 1 November 2019
External links
Media related to Linaria purpurea at Wikimedia Commons