''Nuttallanthus canadensis'', the blue toadflax, Canada toadflax, or old-field toadflax, is a species of ''
Nuttallanthus
''Nuttallanthus'' is a genus of four species of herbaceous annuals and perennials that was traditionally placed in the foxglove family Scrophulariaceae. Due to new genetic research, it has now been placed in the vastly expanded family Planta ...
'' in the family
Plantaginaceae, native to eastern
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
from
Ontario east to
Nova Scotia and south to
Texas and
Florida.
[USDA Plants Profile]
''Nuttallanthus canadensis''
/ref>
Description
It is an annual or biennial plant
A biennial plant is a flowering plant that, generally in a temperate climate, takes two years to complete its biological life cycle.
Life cycle
In its first year, the biennal plant undergoes primary growth, during which its vegetative structures ...
growing to 25–80 cm tall, with slender, erect flowering stems. The leaves are slender, 15–30 mm long and 1–2.5 mm broad. The flowers are purple to off-white, 10–15 mm long, appearing from mid spring to late summer.[Huxley, A, ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening''. ]
Distribution and habitat
It is grown as an ornamental plant in its native area. It has been introduced to western North America and Europe, and is now locally naturalized
Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...
, from Washington south to California, and also in Russia.[ It typically grows in bare areas and grassland.]
Ecology
The plant is a nectar source for bees and butterflies. It supports the larvae of the common buckeye. Leaves of the plant are also a food source for caterpillars.
References
*
External links
Jepson Manual treatment: ''Linaria canadensis'' (''Nuttallanthus canadensis'')Plants For A Future: ''Linaria canadensis''
Plantaginaceae
Flora of Eastern Canada
Flora of the Eastern United States
Flora of Mexico
Flora of South America
Garden plants of North America
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
{{Plantaginaceae-stub