YELLOW TOADFLAX

(Linaria vulgaris)

COMMON NAMES:

Wild snapdragon, common toadflax, ramsted, flaxweed, Jacob’s ladder

DESCRIPTION:

Yellow toadflax is a perennial plant that was introduced into North America as an ornamental. Yellow toadflax only grows to a height of one to two feet and the plants have multiple stems. The seedlings resemble Leafy spurge at a young stage, but do not produce a milky sap when broken. Leaves are numerous, pale green to gray-green in color, narrow and pointed at both ends and have smooth margins and they alternately arranged on the stem. Flowers are pale to bright yellow with orange throats and a downward pointing yellow spur that can be an inch long. Flowers bloom from June to July. The seeds are winged, brown, oval capsules with two chambers and each plant can produce up to 30,000 seeds annually. Yellow toadflax has an extensive horizontal root system and can reproduce through the creeping roots or by seeds.

KEY FEATURES OF YELLOW TOADFLAX:

Bright yellow and orange snapdragon type flowers; patches grow due to the extensive root system that connects the plants.

HABITAT:

Yellow toadflax prefers sites that have well-drained sandy or gravelly soils. This plant can be found in a variety of areas including rangeland, pastures, forests, right-of-ways, cultivated fields, gardens and gravel pits.

CONTROL

Please refer to the Sheridan County Weed & Pest Chemical Recommendations sheet.

OTHER FACTS:

Yellow toadflax has been used for medical purposes with digestive and urinary tract disorders and used topically as an anti-inflammatory, diuretic, and to treat skin rashes.