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purple toad flax

striped toadflax

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

erect or suberect, to 71(–140) cm;

sterile stems to 18 cm.

erect, 12–68 cm;

sterile stems to 15 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 narrowly elliptic, oblanceolate, or linear, flat, sometimes revolute distally, 4–50 × (0.5–)0.7–6 mm, apex acute.

Racemes

1–117-flowered, dense;

bracts linear, 2–5(–5.5) × 0.3–1 mm.

1–43-flowered, dense in flower, lax in fruit;

bracts linear, 2–11(–12) × 0.3–1.5 mm.

Pedicels

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

erect, 2–5 mm in flower, 2.5–12(–14) mm in fruit.

Styles

simple;

stigma entire.

simple;

stigma entire.

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.

white or pale lilac, 9–14 mm;

tube 2–3.5(–4) mm wide, spurs straight, 2–5 mm, much shorter than rest of corolla, abaxial lip sinus 2–2.5(–3) mm, adaxial lip sinus 1–2.5 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 linear-lanceolate, 2.5–3.5 × 0.5–1 mm in flower, 3–4 × 0.7–1.1 mm in fruit, apex acute.

Capsules

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

loculi equal.

subglobular, 3–4 × 2.8–4 mm, glabrous;

loculi equal.

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.

gray or black, trigonous or ± tetrahedral, 1.2–1.8(–2) × 0.6–1 mm, with longitudinal marginal ridges and anastomosed ridges, sometimes with tubercles, on faces;

wing absent.

2n

= 12 (Europe).

= 12 (Europe).

Linaria purpurea

Linaria repens

Phenology Flowering Jun–Oct. Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Disturbed places, railroad rights-of-way, beach foreshores. Roadsides, railroad rights-of-way, waste places.
Elevation 0–1900 m. (0–6200 ft.) 0–200 m. (0–700 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
MA; ME; NJ; NY; NB; NF; NS; w Europe [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Pre-1900 collections of Linaria repens on ballast are known from New Jersey and New York. Linaria repens is known from an old collection in Nova Scotia and was once collected from St. Pierre and Miquelon; the population did not persist.

Linaria repens is polymorphic, easily recognized by the spur much shorter than the rest of the corolla. Hybrids between it and L. vulgaris (known as L. ×sepium) are relatively common in Newfoundland (see comments under 1. L. vulgaris).

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 31. FNA vol. 17, p. 31.
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. bipartita, L. dalmatica, L. genistifolia, L. grandiflora, L. maroccana, L. purpurea, L. spartea, L. triornithophora, L. vulgaris
Synonyms Antirrhinum purpureum Antirrhinum repens
Name authority (Linnaeus) Miller: Gard. Dict. ed. 8, Linaria no. 5. (1768) (Linnaeus) Miller: Gard. Dict. ed. 8, Linaria no. 6. (1768)
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