 Description: Digitalis purpurea, more commonly called Common Foxglove, Purple Foxglove or Lady’s Glove, is a flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae (formerly treated in the family Scrophulariaceae). Its flowers may be in shades of white, yellow, pink, rose, red, lavender and purple and grow on spikes that vary in height, sometimes over four feet, depending on the variety. Rusty foxglove with its rusty-red flowers is the tallest, growing to about 6 feet, while the little yellow foxglove grows to only two or three feet. Inside each flower is a large white area that is covered with deep burgundy or brown spots. The individual flowers are about the size and shape of a thimble. In fact, the Latin name digitalis comes from the Latin word digitalis which means finger. This is because the blossoms fit the human finger almost perfectly. A child can hardly resist poking a finger into the blossoms that seem designed for that purpose, but the flowers and leaves are highly toxic, and this plant should not be grown in areas frequented by children. Foxglove is grown commercially as a source of the heart drugs digoxin and digitoxin. |
Description: Digitalis purpurea, more commonly called Common Foxglove, Purple Foxglove or Lady’s Glove, is a flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae (formerly treated in the family Scrophulariaceae). Its flowers may be in shades of white, yellow, pink, rose, red, lavender and purple and grow on spikes that vary in height, sometimes over four feet, depending on the variety. Rusty foxglove with its rusty-red flowers is the tallest, growing to about 6 feet, while the little yellow foxglove grows to only two or three feet. Inside each flower is a large white area that is covered with deep burgundy or brown spots. The individual flowers are about the size and shape of a thimble. In fact, the Latin name digitalis comes from the Latin word digitalis which means finger. This is because the blossoms fit the human finger almost perfectly. A child can hardly resist poking a finger into the blossoms that seem designed for that purpose, but the flowers and leaves are highly toxic, and this plant should not be grown in areas frequented by children. Foxglove is grown commercially as a source of the heart drugs digoxin and digitoxin.
