Linaria dalmatica (L.) Mill.

Linaria dalmatica is a herbaceous, short-lived perennial plant in the family Plantaginaceae native to western Asia and southeastern Europe. As with related species, it was formerly included in the family Scrophulariaceae (figwort) family. Its common names include Balkan toadflax, broadleaf toadflax, and Dalmatian toadflax. The distribution of L. dalmatica to North America can be attributed to use as a fabric dye, folk remedies and as an ornamental plant. However, it is now classified as a weed in both Canada and the U.S.

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Leaves Leaves are broad and heart-shaped and are arranged in an alternating pattern. The leaves are attached to the stem ascending outward and are smooth, waxy and glabrous. In addition, they do not have petioles. Flowers Flowers are raceme and are composed of five sepals and five petals, four pairs of stamens of unequal length and pistils are bicarpellate. Flowering of L. dalmatica takes place from late May to September. The flowers are bilaterally symmetrical and have spurs pointing downwards. Seeds Seed production of L. dalmatica is dependent on many factors such as environmental conditions and competition sites. In sites with favourable conditions (moisture availability) and low competition of other plants, up to 500,000 seeds can be produced per plant. Seeds are small and appears black to purplish-brown in colour. Seed dispersal can be through a number of ways including wind, wildlife and seed ingestion by animals. Seeds tend to germinate in the spring, however they can also germinate in the fall. The weight and development of seeds are influenced by the environment in which they grow, where growth is significantly impacted by moisture availability. With low moisture availability or drought conditions, growth may be inhibited as Linaria dalmatica are weak competitors in these conditions. Development of seeds are typically slow to begin with but increase with time. Roots L. dalmatica has an extensive root system. The roots of L. dalmatica make it a strong competitor as they can produce long and deep taproots that are able to obtain take control of resources required for growth such as moisture and nutrients. In addition, lateral roots also arise from the buds present on the roots that contribute to the plants ability to obtain resources. These lateral roots can grow up to 3 m (10 ft) away from the parent plant. The roots are a great storage place for energy and they possess the greatest amount of energy storage in the fall, storing sugars (i.e. fructose and glucose). Contrastingly, the least amount of energy stored in the roots occur in June just as the flowers are set to bloom. L. dalmatica also produces creeping roots which appear white in colour. These roots allow for a rapid rate of reproduction of these plants.

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Linaria dalmatica was initially named Antirrhinum dalmaticum by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and placed with the snapdragons in Antirrhinum. The botanist Philip Miller moved it to the genus Linaria in 1768, giving the species its accepted name. It has no accepted subspecies or botanical varieties, though several have been described that among its ten synonyms. It is closely related to Linaria genistifolia, with which it may be conspecific. Etymology The genus name Linaria, appears to stem from the Latin word linum, meaning flax, as some species have leaves that appear flax-like. The species name dalmatica refers to the region of Dalmatia on the Balkan Peninsula.

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