Small toadflax

 

Scientific name: Chaenorhinum minus (L.) Lange 

Family: Plantaginaceae

 

MORPHOLOGY

 

Habit and dimensions: An annual plant, ranging from 5 to 30 cm tall, densely pubescent-glandular.

 

Stems: Erect stems, branching at the base.

 

Leaves: Opposite lanceolate-linear leaves, rarely oblanceolate, and up to 6 mm wide.

 

Flowers: Isolated flowers in the axils of the upper leaves. Calyx divided to the base into lobes of 3-5 mm. Yellow-violet corolla, 4-9 mm, with about one-third belonging to the spur, which is more or less cylindrical and 1-2 times the diameter in length. Blooms from April to October.

 

Fruits and seeds: The fruit is an ovoid capsule, longer than the calyx, with regularly blistered walls.

 

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT

 

Present throughout Italy. It grows in arid fallows, road edges, embankments, old walls, from sea level up to 1200 m.

 

Photo: under the free license of Saxifraga and Peter Meininger, Rutger Barendse, Jan van der Straaten, Ed Stikvoort