Bastard Toadflax

(Comandra umbellata)

 

   

 

Kantrud, Harold A. 1995. Native Wildflowers of the North Dakota Grasslands. Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, USGS.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Bastard Toadflax (Comandra umbellata [L.] Nutt.)

Identification: A small, upright plant. Flowers small, white, consisting of a cup-like base and 5 small sepals (petals absent). Each sepal conceals a single stamen. Flowers clumped in small, terminal clusters. Leaves elongate, ovate, alternate on the stem. Leaves pale beneath with a pale midrib and smooth outer margin. Plant 6 to 16 inches in height.

Distribution: Throughout North America.

Habitat: Bastard Toadflax is found on dry soil and in thickets.

Flowering period: April to June.

Similar Species: Bastard Toadflax is an inconspicuous species, but the structure of the flower and the alternate leaves with their pale undersides should identify it.

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