butter and eggs
Family
ScrophulariaceaeScientific Name
Linaria vulgarisOther Common Names:
Jacob's ladder
flaxweed
ramsted
wild snapdragon
yellow toadflax
Synonyms (former Scientific Names):
Linaria linaria
Habit
Reaches 1-3 feet tall, grows from May to October, and is mildly poisonous to livestock.
Leaves
1 to 2.5 inch slender, gray-green leaves that are pointed at each end, narrow, stalkless, and simple. Upper leaves are alternate and lower leaves are whorled.
Identifying Characteristics
Similar to Dalmatian toadflax, but is a smaller plant, has smaller flowers, and leaves are linear instead of heart-shaped. The large yellow flowers, slender leaves, and milky sap are good identification characteristics.
Flower Seed Head
Flowers are irregular, snap-dragon shaped, produced in a dense, terminal raceme, and appears in early summer, lasting into late summer. Petals are a bright to cream yellow with a dull orange center. A spur 1 cm long is located at the base of the petals.
Seed Fruit
The fruit is a capsule with two locules and many seeds. The seeds are winged, disk-shaped, and dark brown to black.
Where Found
Fields, borders, gardens, disturbed areas, roadsides, waste areas, railroad yards, pastures, and edges of forests.
Life Cycle
perennial
Plant Type
Herb