Kingdom: Plantae
(Unranked): Angiosperms
(Unranked): Eudicots
(Unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Plantaginaceae
Genus: Linaria
Species: L. purpurea
Binomial name: Linaria purpurea
Common name: Purple toadflax
Warning: Linaria purpurea is toxic to stock and slightly toxic to humans.
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 many parts of the world and is also cultivated as an ornamental plant. It is a perennial herb growing 30 to 70 centimetres tall with linear leaves 2 to 5 centimetres in length.
The inflorescence is a raceme of flowers occupying the top of the stem. The flower is between 1 and 2 centimetres long with five lobes arranged into two lips with a spur at the end. The flower is usually light to medium purple in colour.
In New Zealand, it is found on roadsides, footpaths, rocky banks and waste areas.
The flowers can be purple or pink.
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The pink form
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A young plant.
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The long seed heads March
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The leaves of a mature Purple toadflax
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Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
