Digitalis purpurea (common foxglove), an ornamental plant, with tall spires of tapered, tubular, purple to pink or white flowers


Digitalis purpurea (common foxglove) A popular ornamental, with tall spires of tapered, tubular, purple to pink or white flowers, common foxglove is also a source of digitoxin, used in the heart drug digitalis. Digitalis purpurea was named by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in his pivotal publication Species Plantarum in 1753. The generic name Digitalis comes from the Latin for finger (digitus), referring to the shape of the flowers. The specific epithet purpurea refers to the colour of the flowers, which are frequently purple (although a white-flowered form is fairly common). Common foxglove is a popular ornamental, and many hybrids and cultivars are available. Digitalis purpurea also contains loliolide, a potent ant-repellent which was once used as an insecticidal disinfectant for walls in the Forest of Dean, England. Medicinal uses Foxgloves are a source of digitoxin, a glycoside used in the drug digitalis, which has been used as a heart stimulant since 1785. It is also well-known for its toxicity, and ingestion of the leaves (usually as a result of misidentification for comfrey, Symphytum officinale) can result in severe poisoning.


Size: 3456px × 5184px
Location: Llangollen, North Wales
Photo credit: © Michael Evans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: asteranae, bloom, bumblebee, class, common, digitalis, digitoxin, drugs, equisetopsida, family, flower, foxglove, garden, genus, lamiales, loliolide, macro, magnoliidae, medicine, order, petals, pink, plantaginaceae, purple, purpurea, subclass, superorder, taxonomy, toxin