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Common Toadflax

©Amy Lewis

Common toadflax

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Scientific name: Linaria vulgaris
Look for common toadflax on waste ground and grassland, and along roadside verges and hedgerows. Its yellow-and-orange flowers are tightly packed on a tall spike and have distinctive 'spurs'.

Top facts

Stats

Height: up to 75cm

Conservation status

Common.

When to see

June to November

About

Common toadflax is a common plant of waste ground, grassland, roadside verges and hedgerows. Its yellow-and-orange flowers appear in June and persist well into November; they look like the flowers of snapdragons (familiar garden plants), and are often densely packed. These flowers give the plant its other common name of 'butter and eggs'.

What to look for

The upright stems of common toadflax have narrow leaves. Its flowers are creamy-yellow, with orange centres and long 'spurs', and form dense clusters at the top of the stems.

Where to find

Widespread.

Did you know?

Common toadflax provides a food source for Buff-tailed and White-tailed bumblebees, Common carder bees, Honeybees and a variety of fly species.