Nuttallanthus
Encyclopedia
Nuttallanthus is a genus of four species of herb
aceous annuals
and perennials
that was traditionally placed in the foxglove family Scrophulariaceae
. Due to new genetic research, it has now been placed in the vastly expanded family Plantaginaceae
. Three species of Nuttallanthus are native to North America
and one to South America. Nuttallanthus was until the 1980s included in a wider circumscription of the genus Linaria
, a genus now considered restricted to the Old World
.
The members of this genus are known in English as toadflax
, a name shared with several other related genera. The scientific name honors Thomas Nuttall
.
Species
Canada Toadflax (Nuttallanthus canadensis
, syn. Linaria canadensis) is native to eastern North America
, in southern Canada
and the United States
. It is a purple to blue, weedy species, which blooms early in the spring. It is an important nectar source for spring buildup of honeybees, because the plant
s are often so thick in fields, and they bloom so early.
The North American species do not appear to form interspecific hybrids at all. The most common mode of reproduction is self-fertilization, with occasional fertilization by another plant of the same species.
Closely related genera include the Linaria
(Eurasian toadflaxes), Antirrhinum
(snapdragons) and Cymbalaria
(ivy-leaved toadflaxes).
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
aceous annuals
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
and perennials
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
that was traditionally placed in the foxglove family Scrophulariaceae
Scrophulariaceae
Scrophulariaceae, the figwort family, are a family of flowering plants. The plants are annual or perennial herbs with flowers with bilateral or rarely radial symmetry. Members of the Scrophulariaceae have a cosmopolitan distribution, with the majority found in temperate areas, including...
. Due to new genetic research, it has now been placed in the vastly expanded family Plantaginaceae
Plantaginaceae
Plantaginaceae Juss. or plantain family, are a family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales. The type genus is Plantago L..In older classifications it used to be the only family of the order Plantaginales, but numerous phylogenetic studies, summarized by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, have...
. Three species of Nuttallanthus are native to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and one to South America. Nuttallanthus was until the 1980s included in a wider circumscription of the genus Linaria
Linaria
Linaria is a genus of about 100 species of herbaceous annuals and perennials that was traditionally placed in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae. Due to new genetic research, it has now been placed in the vastly expanded family Plantaginaceae...
, a genus now considered restricted to the Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
.
The members of this genus are known in English as toadflax
Toadflax
Toadflax is the English name of several related genera of plants in the family Plantaginaceae and Scrophulariaceae:*Anarrhinum*Antirrhinum *Chaenorhinum*Cymbalaria*Linaria*Misopates*Nuttallanthus...
, a name shared with several other related genera. The scientific name honors Thomas Nuttall
Thomas Nuttall
Thomas Nuttall was an English botanist and zoologist, who lived and worked in America from 1808 until 1841....
.
Species
- Nuttallanthus canadensisNuttallanthus canadensisNuttallanthus canadensis is a species of Nuttallanthus in the Plantaginaceae family, native to eastern North America from Ontario east to Nova Scotia and south to Texas and Florida.It is an annual or biennial plant growing to...
(Canada Toadflax or Oldfield Toadflax) - Nuttallanthus floridanus (Apalachicola Toadflax)
- Nuttallanthus texanus (Texas Toadflax)
Canada Toadflax (Nuttallanthus canadensis
Nuttallanthus canadensis
Nuttallanthus canadensis is a species of Nuttallanthus in the Plantaginaceae family, native to eastern North America from Ontario east to Nova Scotia and south to Texas and Florida.It is an annual or biennial plant growing to...
, syn. Linaria canadensis) is native to eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, in southern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is a purple to blue, weedy species, which blooms early in the spring. It is an important nectar source for spring buildup of honeybees, because the plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s are often so thick in fields, and they bloom so early.
The North American species do not appear to form interspecific hybrids at all. The most common mode of reproduction is self-fertilization, with occasional fertilization by another plant of the same species.
Closely related genera include the Linaria
Linaria
Linaria is a genus of about 100 species of herbaceous annuals and perennials that was traditionally placed in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae. Due to new genetic research, it has now been placed in the vastly expanded family Plantaginaceae...
(Eurasian toadflaxes), Antirrhinum
Antirrhinum
Antirrhinum is a genus of plants commonly known as snapdragons from the flowers' fancied resemblance to the face of a dragon that opens and closes its mouth when laterally squeezed...
(snapdragons) and Cymbalaria
Cymbalaria
Cymbalaria is a genus of about 10 species of herbaceous perennial plants previously treated in the family Scrophulariaceae, but recently shown by genetic research to be in the much enlarged family Plantaginaceae.The genus is native to southern Europe...
(ivy-leaved toadflaxes).