Toadflax is a cool weather, branching annual in the fig wort family with snapdragon-like flowers. It is native to Morocco, as the species name suggests, and blooms in the cool days of spring into early summer. It will, however, stop blooming in the heat of summer. The genus name comes from the the Greek word linon referring to the flax like leaves. Toadflax does best in consistently moist, well-drained, humusy to sandy-loam soil in full sun. The plant tends to fade in hot summer weather, but siting it in an area where it will get afternoon shade can encourage summer blossoms. Alternatively, you can sow seeds in late summer for a fall bloom. Cultivars are available in a range of colors including shades of lavender, yellow, orange, pink, red and white, usually with contrasting color blotches on the palates. You can cut the plant back after initial flowering to encourage additional blooms. The plant does self-seed in optimum growing conditions. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems Watch for aphids. Powdery mildew can also be a problem.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
Less than 12 inches
NC region
Mountains
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 9 in. - 1 ft. 6 in. | Width: 0 ft. 6 in. - 0 ft. 9 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Multi-stemmed
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate; Opposite; Whorled
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf size
1-3 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Narrow linear green leaves (to 1.5 inches long). Can be lobed or not, but not separated. Leaf arrangement can vary depending on the number of leaves per node on the stem.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Orange; Pink; Red/Burgundy; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Cup; Tubular
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Long spurred (a nectar spur longer than the rest of the flower), two-lipped, miniature, snapdragon-like blossoms appear in April through June. Flowers in upright-terminal racemes. Produces colorful blooms in purple-violet with a yellow blotch.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
Dry fruit that splits open.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
Morocco
Distribution
Introduced to parts of Canada, northeastern United States south to North Carolina, Spain, France, and Britain.
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Capsule
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Meadow; Walkways
Landscape theme
Cottage Garden
Design feature
Border
Garden tags
#bronze #spring interest #pink flowers #full sun tolerant #white flowers #annual #colorful flowers #heat intolerant #humidity intolerant #upright form