Linaria vulgaris Mill.
butter-and-eggs (butter and eggs; common toadflax)
Plantaginaceae (Mare's-tail family)
(Previously in Scrophulariaceae)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Larry Halverson     (Photo ID #71248)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Linaria vulgaris
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend

Species Information

General:
Perennial herb from a long creeping rhizome; stems erect, 10-80 cm tall, sometimes branched above, smooth, glaucous; milky juice appearing when stems or leaves broken.
Leaves:
Alternate or the lowermost nearly opposite, numerous, unstalked, linear to narrowly lanceolate, smooth-margined, 2-10 cm long, smooth.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a long, terminal, smooth to minutely glandular-hairy, spike-like cluster of numerous short-stalked flowers, at first dense, elongating in age; corollas bright yellow with a central, orange-hairy patch at the throat, 20-35 mm long including the long straight basal spur, which is about as long as the rest of the corolla, 2-lipped, the upper lip 2-lobed, the lower lip 3-lobed; calyces 2-4 mm long, deeply 5-lobed, the lobes nearly distinct, lanceolate; stamens 4.
Fruits:
Capsules, egg-shaped to broadly cylindric, 5-10 mm long; seeds numerous, disc-shaped with broad wings, about 2 mm long, the central portion pimply.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Linaria vulgaris

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Avg

Min

Max

Elevation (metres)
966 445 1787
Slope Gradient (%)
29 0 90

Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]

195 30 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
3 1 5
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
C
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
39
Modal BEC Zone Class
IDF

All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in

BG(1), ESSF(4), IDF(12), MS(11), PP(7), SBS(3)

Habitat and Range

Moist to dry fields, roadsides, waste places and open forests; frequent in BC south of 57degreeN, except absent from the Queen Charlotte Islands, rare northward; introduced from Eurasia.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Linaria linaria (L.) Karst.

Taxonomic Notes

Flowering dates for this species in our region range from June 14 to September 5, based on photo records in the E-Flora BC photo gallery and the Burke Museum photo gallery.