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purple toad flax

clovenlip toadflax, split lip toadflax

Habit Perennials, from taproot, not reproducing vegetatively by stolons. Annuals, not reproducing vegetatively by stolons.
Fertile stems

erect or suberect, to 71(–140) cm;

sterile stems to 18 cm.

erect, 8–65 cm;

sterile stems to 11 cm.

Leaves

of fertile stems: blade oblanceolate to linear, usually flat, 5–45(–60) × 0.8–4(–8) mm, apex acute or subobtuse.

of fertile stems: blade linear to linear-oblong, flat, 5–57 × 0.5–3.5 mm, apex acute or obtuse.

Racemes

1–117-flowered, dense;

bracts linear, 2–5(–5.5) × 0.3–1 mm.

1–35-flowered, lax or ± dense in flower, lax in fruit, rachis glabrous or sparsely glandular-hairy, hairs 0.1–0.3 mm;

bracts linear to linear-lanceolate, rarely lanceolate, 4–8 × 0.5–2.5 mm.

Pedicels

erect, 1–3 mm in flower, 2–4(–5) mm in fruit.

erect, 1–7 mm in flower, 2.5–9 mm in fruit.

Styles

simple;

stigma entire.

2-fid;

stigma with 2 discrete areas.

Corollas

violet to purple, with yellow or lilac palate, 9–13(–17) mm;

tube 1.5–2.5 mm wide, spurs curved, 5–7(–9) mm, subequal to rest of corolla, abaxial lip sinus (0.6–)0.8–1.5(–2) mm, adaxial lip sinus 1 mm.

purple, mauve, or violet, usually with yellow palate, 17–24 mm;

tube 2–3.5 mm wide, spurs straight or curved, 8–14 mm, usually longer than rest of corolla, abaxial lip sinus 0.7–1.5 mm, adaxial lip sinus 1.5–3.5 mm.

Calyx

lobes linear to linear-lanceolate, 1.5–3 × 0.5–1 mm in flower, 2–3.5 × 0.7–1.2 mm in fruit, apex acute or subacute.

lobes lanceolate, 3–5 × 0.7–1.5 mm in flower, 3–6 × 1–2 mm in fruit, apex acute or subacute.

Capsules

subglobular, 2.7–4 × 2.5–3.7 mm, glabrous;

loculi equal.

oblong-ovoid, 4.5–7 × 3.8–6.3 mm, glabrous or sparsely glandular-pubescent;

loculi equal or subequal.

Seeds

black or blackish brown, subtrigonous or ± tetrahedral, 0.8–1.2 × 0.6–1 mm, with longitudinal marginal ridges and anastomosed ridges or tubercles on faces;

wing absent.

dark gray to black, reniform or subtrigonous, 0.5–0.7 × 0.3–0.5 mm, with ± conspicuous transverse ridges;

wing absent.

2n

= 12 (Europe).

= 12 (Africa).

Linaria purpurea

Linaria bipartita

Phenology Flowering Jun–Oct. Flowering Apr–Sep.
Habitat Disturbed places, railroad rights-of-way, beach foreshores. Waste ground, roadsides.
Elevation 0–1900 m. (0–6200 ft.) 0–1200 m. (0–3900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC; s Europe (Italy) [Introduced in North America; introduced also in s South America (Argentina), n Europe, Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; NJ; VA; QC; n Africa (Morocco) [Introduced in North America]
Discussion

Glabrous plants (without hairs on the inflorescence axis, calyx bracts, and pedicels) are included in Linaria bipartita. This is the main feature to distinguish it from L. maroccana in absence of mature fruits. Single collections have been found that include both glabrous plants and ones with sparsely hairy calyces and pedicels on the same sheet (for example, New Jersey, Somerset County, Watchung, 11 July 1931, Moldenke 1900, NY), suggesting that L. bipartita may be polymorphic with respect to this feature.

Some specimens of Linaria bipartita have been reported as L. incarnata (Ventenat) Sprengel, which is easily separable from L. bipartita by its densely hairy inflorescences [multicellular glandular hairs (0.1–)0.3–1 mm, with purple to violet transverse walls]. At present, there is no specimen evidence of L. incarnata occurring in North America.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 31. FNA vol. 17, p. 32.
Parent taxa Plantaginaceae > Linaria Plantaginaceae > Linaria
Sibling taxa
L. bipartita, L. dalmatica, L. genistifolia, L. grandiflora, L. maroccana, L. repens, L. spartea, L. triornithophora, L. vulgaris
L. dalmatica, L. genistifolia, L. grandiflora, L. maroccana, L. purpurea, L. repens, L. spartea, L. triornithophora, L. vulgaris
Synonyms Antirrhinum purpureum Antirrhinum bipartitum
Name authority (Linnaeus) Miller: Gard. Dict. ed. 8, Linaria no. 5. (1768) (Ventenat) Willdenow: Enum. Pl., 640. (1809)
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