''Chaenorhinum minus'', also known as small toadflax in Europe and dwarf snapdragon in the US and Canada, is a very diminutive member of the plant family

Plantaginaceae Plantaginaceae, the plantain family, is a large, diverse family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales that includes common flowers such as snapdragon and foxglove. It is unrelated to the banana-like fruit also called "plantain." In older cl ...

. It is native to continental

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Description

''Chaenorhinum minus'' differs from many toadflaxes in having alternate leaves growing singly. Its leaves and sepals are covered with glandular hairs. Leaves are glaucous and sepals are green or purple. Flowers vary from pale purple to white. It is an annual herb, with a maximum height of 25 cm. It does not spread vegetatively. Flowering occurs June–July. File:Chaenorhinum minus in a garden setting in the United Kingdom.jpg, ''Chaenorhinum minus'' in a garden setting in the United Kingdom File:Microrrhinum minus sl3.jpg, a larger individual of ''Chaenorhinum minus'' in Austria File:Chaenorhinum-minus-4270.jpg, flower of ''Chaenorhinum minus'' in Germany

Habitat and distribution

It is such a small plant that it relies upon disturbance to compete with other plants for light. Once a common weed in farmers' fields, it has suffered from agricultural intensification and is now mainly seen in gardens and around railways, as well as roadsides and industrial sites. Its UK distribution shows it favours chalky soil. This species is native to continental Europe, found mainly in south and central Europe, though it reaches as far north as Sweden. It is considered to have '

archaeophyte An archaeophyte is a plant species which is non-native to a geographical region, but which was an introduced species in "ancient" times, rather than being a modern introduction. Those arriving after are called neophytes. The cut-off date is usua ...

' status in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

ie. is thought to have been introduced many centuries ago. It has also been introduced to the US and Canada.USDA - Chaenorhinum minus
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Taxonomy

There are considered to be four subspecies of ''Chaenorhinum minus'': *''Chaenorhinum minus'' subsp. anatolicum P.H.Davis (Syn.: Microrrhinum minus subsp. anatolicum (P. H. Davis)NN): found in the Aegeans *''Chaenorhinum minus'' subsp. minus: *''Chaenorhinum minus'' subsp. idaeum (Rech. fil.) R.Fern. (Syn.: Microrrhinum minus subsp. idaeum (Rech. f.) NN): found in Crete *''Chaenorhinum minus'' subsp. pseudorubrifolium (Gamisans)NN (Syn.: Microrrhinum minus subsp. pseudorubrifolium (Gamisans)NN): found in Corsica

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1149706 Plantaginaceae Flora of Malta