Digitalis Purpurea, Common Foxglove Mixed Color Flowering Seeds

SKU: NBIC176

150.00 132.00

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Fill your garden with the absolutely gorgeous foxglove flowers.Bloom beautiful flowers at your place to freshen your everyday with foxglove seeds

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Description

Purchase Description

  • Digitalis Purpurea, Common Foxglove Mixed Color Flowering Seeds

Description

Common foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, is a biennial or short-lived herbaceous perennial from western Europe in the plantain family (Plantaginaceae, which now contains the former figwort family, Scrophulariaceae, this used to be part of) that grows in woodland clearings, mountainsides and especially on disturbed sites, as well as being used as a garden ornamental. It was once the source of the heart stimulants digitoxin or digoxin, digitalin, digitalein, and digitonin, cardiac glycosides used in modern medicine in the drug digitalis.

The leaves were used in the treatment of heart failure since 1785, but now the drug is mostly created synthetically. Improper use of foxglove can cause either decreased or increased heart rate and can produce poisoning if used on a prolonged basis, so it should never be used to self-medicate. This plant, also sometimes commonly called purple foxglove, fairy gloves, fairy bells, lady’s glove, or many other things, is widely naturalized outside its native area, commonly near roads, and in some places is considered a weed or invasive plant. It is hardy in zones 4-9.

This plant forms a tight rosette of simple, coarse leaves with prominent veins for a nearly quilted look in its first year.  The ovate to lanceolate leaves with barely noticeable rounded teeth on the margins grow on a winged petiole formed by the lower veins. The alternate leaves, up to a foot long, are covered with gray-white hairs that impart a downy texture on the upper surface and are wooly or hairy below. The clump remains low and close to the ground.

In the second year an upright flower stem with smaller leaves is produced from the center of the basal clump. The spikes normally grow 3 to 4 feet tall with the individual flowers opening progressively up the elongated, terminal cluster (a simple or sparsely branched raceme). The species usually has a one-sided raceme with 20-80 flowers, but improved cultivars often have flowers completely surrounding the stem. The downward-facing, tapered, tubular (bell-shaped) flowers have four lobes. Each 1½ to 2½ inch long pink, purple or white corolla (the fused petals) has long hairs inside and is heavily spotted with dark purpled edged in white on the lower lip which serves as a landing platform for pollinators. The flowers are visited by bees – primarily bumblebees – which climb deep into the flower tube to get the nectar which lies in a ring at the base of the tube, and in the process rub against the anthers which lie flat on the upper inside surface of the corolla. When visiting another flower, the pollen rubs off on the cleft stigma. Hummingbirds may also visit the flowers. The flower spikes can be used for cut flowers.

Growing Tips

Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade.

Soil: Well-drained soil.

Water: Moderately

Temperature: 20-30 degree C

Fertilizer: Apply any organic fertilizer during spring and summer.

1 review for Digitalis Purpurea, Common Foxglove Mixed Color Flowering Seeds

  1. Storm trooper (verified owner)

    Well packaged, cute and healthy product delivered

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