Smooth False Foxglove

(Aureolaria laevigata)

Smooth False Foxglove (Aureolaria laevigata [Raf.] Raf.)

Identification: Flowers large, yellow, bell-shaped, with 5 large petal lobes. Stems and leaves smooth, not fuzzy. Leaves in opposite pairs, elongate, only weakly, if at all, lobed. Petioles short. Plant 2 to 6 feet in height.

Distribution: Michigan in the west to Pennsylvania in the east, southward to Georgia and Mississippi.

Habitat: Smooth False Foxglove is usually found in open, montane woods.

Flowering period: July to September.

Similar Species: The stems and leaves of Downy False Foxglove are downy, not smooth. The leaves are heavily lobed and the petioles longer and tapering. Yellow False Foxglove (Aureolaria flava) (not treated here) has more heavily lobed leaves and the stem is usually tinged with purple. The leaves of Fern-leaved False Foxglove are heavily divided, fernlike.