Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 305 



BLUE TOADFLAX (Linaria canadensis). This is 

 a very slender and dainty species related to the very 

 common introduced "Butter-and-Eggs. The stem at- 

 tains heights of from 5 to 30 inches, but is so slend- 

 er and weak that it is often supported by the sur- 

 rounding plants. The small linear leaves alternate 

 along the stem and continue in a diminishing size to 

 the ends of the branches, where they act as bracts for 

 the loose raceme of flowers. 



The little tubular flowers are violet-blue in color; 

 the corolla is two-lipped, the upper one having two 

 lobes and the lower one three; the latter is pouch- 

 shaped and extends backwards into a very slender 

 spur. Blue Toadflax is commonly found in dry sandy 

 fields throughout the United States and southern 

 Canada. 



TOAD-FLAX; BUTTER-AND-EGGS (Linaria vul- 

 garis), although an immigrant, takes so kindly to our 

 land that it has extended its range from the Atlantic 

 to the Pacific and southern Canada to the Gulf of 

 Mexico. It is a very attractive plant and interesting 

 in many ways. The stem is simple and from 6 to 30 

 inches high. The narrow alternating leaves are gray- 

 ish green, covered with a whitish bloom. As the 

 plants grow often in dense colonies the effect on the 

 landscape is that of a grayish bank, studded with 

 gold and orange jewels. 



The tubular, yellow flower has a two-lipped corolla, 

 the upper one being of two lobes and the lower one 

 three, the center one of which extends into a large 

 sac-like spur and has a protruding, pouting, orange 

 palate that closes the throat of the blossom. This ar- 

 rangement is designed for the bumblebee, whose 

 weight on the lower lip opens the flower so he can 

 get at the nectar, while it is tightly closed to pilfer- 

 ing ants. We find Butter-and-Eggs in bloom during 

 July to October in waste land, along roads and in 

 fields or pastures. 



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