Linaria purpurea
{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Linaria purpurea 1.jpg
|genus = Linaria
|species = purpurea
|synonyms =
{{Plainlist | style = margin-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em; |
- Antirrhinum purpureum L.
- Termontis purpurea (L.) Raf.
}}
|synonyms_ref = {{citation
|url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2499859
|title=The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species
|access-date=13 September 2016}}
}}
Linaria purpurea or purple toadflax is a purple-flowered plant native to Italy, part of the plantain family (Plantaginaceae). It is sometimes planted in gardens and is also an introduced weed in North America and other parts of Europe.{{BSBI 2007 |access-date=2014-10-17 }}{{PLANTS|id=LIPU3|taxon=Linaria purpurea|access-date=26 January 2016}}
Description
File:Purple Toadflax. Linaria purpurea. Scrophulariaceae - Flickr - gailhampshire.jpg
It is a perennial herbaceous plant growing 30 to 70 centimeters tall with linear leaves 2 to 5 centimeters in length. The inflorescence is a raceme of flowers occupying the top of the stem. The flower is between 1 and 2 centimeters long with five lobes arranged into two lips with a spur at the end. The flower is usually light to medium purple in color. The fruit is a capsule.
There is a pale pink cultivar of the species named 'Canon Went'.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=1172|title = Linaria purpurea 'Canon Went' | purple toadflax 'Canon Went' Herbaceous Perennial/RHS Gardening}}
Range
It is native to Italy,{{GRIN | accessdate = 19 January 2018}} but it can be found growing wild as an introduced species in parts of western North America, including California,[http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?7177,7370,7376 Jepson Manual Treatment] western Washington,[http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?Genus=Linaria&Species=purpurea Burke Museum] and British Columbia, and it is cultivated as an ornamental plant.[http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=A242 Kemper Garden Center]
It occurs naturally in moist, moderately nutrient-rich places.
In the UK it is regarded as something of a weed, spreading readily on stony waste ground and walls, although it is tolerated for its attractive, long-lasting flowers which are very attractive to bees.{{Cite web |date=2013-04-27 |title=Alys Fowler: toadflax |url=http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/apr/27/alys-fowler-gardening-column-toadflax |access-date=2022-11-18 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}
Toxicity and chemistry
This plant is poisonous to livestock, though ruminants may tend to avoid consuming it. The larvae of some species of Lepidoptera (butterflies) use this plant as a food source.{{Cite web|url=http://www.brickfieldspark.org/data/purpletoadflax.htm|title=Purple Toadflax - Linaria purpurea, species information page|website=www.brickfieldspark.org|access-date=2016-06-30}}
In a recent study conducted in Italy the plant was found to contain a compound exhibiting antifungal activity, which drastically reduced the production of aflatoxin B1 in Aspergillus flavus Link., making it a potential natural and 'green' anti-aflatoxin B1 agent suitable for use in the food industry.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334596739_Phytochemical_analysis_of_Linaria_purpurea_L_Mill_and_inhibitory_activity_on_the_production_of_aflatoxin_B1_AFB1_in_Aspergillus_flavus_Link_of_one_of_its_metabolites_antirrhinoside Abstract: Frezza, C., Venditti, A., Marcucci, E. and Parroni, A. Industrial Crops and Products Vol. 139, 1 November 2019 "Phytochemical analysis of Linaria purpurea (L.) Mill. and inhibitory activity on the production of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in Aspergillus flavus Link. of one of its metabolites, antirrhinoside"
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category-inline|Linaria purpurea}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q6550284}}