''Linaria arenaria'', sometimes called sand toadflax or French toadflax, is a yellow-flowered member of the genus ''

Linaria ''Linaria'' is a genus of almost 200 species of flowering plants, one of several related groups commonly called toadflax. They are annuals and herbaceous perennials, and the largest genus in the Antirrhineae tribe of the plantain family Planta ...

''. It is found in sand-dunes and sandy grassland in western France, north-west Spain and Portugal and is thus a

psammophyte A psammophyte is a plant that grows in sandy and often unstable soils. Psammophytes are commonly found growing on beaches, deserts, and sand dunes. Because they thrive in these challenging or inhospitable habitats, psammophytes are considered extr ...

plant . It is found casually in England and reliably at two sites. One is

Braunton Burrows Braunton Burrows is a sand dune system on the North Devon coast. It is privately owned and forms part of the Christie Devon Estates Trust (see Tapeley Park). Braunton Burrows is a prime British sand dune site, the largest sand dune system (psam ...

in north Devon where it was planted around 1893 and continues to grow, and the other, since 2004, is in north Somerset.

Description

It is an annual plant and grows to around . The leaves and stem are covered in sticky hairs. The flowers open in June-July. They are in a cluster at the top of the stem and are yellow with a purplish spur. The species was first described by

Augustin Pyramus de Candolle Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candol ...

in 1808.

References

arenaria Flora of France Flora of Spain Flora of Europe Plants described in 1808 {{Plantaginaceae-stub