Digitalis


1 entry found.
Picture of Digitalis Digitalis
Common Name: Foxglove, Digitalis
Botanical Name: Digitalis purpurea (di-ji-TAL-is pur-pur-EE-a or per-PU-re-a)
Decorative Life: 10-14 days.
Post Harvest Care:
  • Remove bottom leaves if present, recut stems under water and place into a fresh flower food solution.
  • Powdery mildew is often found on leaves and should be avoided. Pollinated flowers rapidly produce ethylene and die and/or fall off in proportion to the amount of pollen: the more pollen, the faster the flowers die. Therefore, anti-ethylene products are a must and both the ethylene synthesis (AVG & AOA) and action (MCP & STS) types work.
Harvest Instructions: Harvest when approximately 50% of the flowers are open.
Family Roots:
  • Member of the Scrophulariaceae (figwort family).
  • Native to the Mediterranean region.
  • Common relatives include snapdragon, Penstemon, Nemesia, Veronica and Calceolaria.
Personality:
  • Tubular or bell-shaped flowers to 2 inches long occur in dense one-sided spikes at stem ends.
  • Stems are 24-36 inches long.
  • Plant is a herbaceous biennial or perennial, classed as a dicotyledon, leaves not parallel veined.
  • Flowers are not fragrant.
Availability: Summer.
Flower Color: Pink, yellow, white, red, purple, often with speckled throat.
Storage Specifics: 34-36 F, up to 5 days in water.
Tidbits:
  • From the Latin "digitus" (finger) referring to the shape of the flowers.
  • The specific epithet name "purpurea" means purple, in reference to the common flower color of this species.
  • Original source for the heart drug, digitalis. Many species in this 3000 plus species family are grown for ornamental and medicinal purposes including slipperwort, speedwell, mullein, bearded-tongue, foxglove, snapdragon, toadflax, monkey-flower, cape-fuchsia, coral-plant, nemesia, and blue-lips.
  • Has become naturalized and weedy in some areas, most growing as a biennial.
  • All plant parts are poisonous.