Toadflax conundrum

[Rambling Rob]

Hiya folks,

A Toadflax spotted this afternoon in a hedgebank near Sandown, IoW has me baffled - what are your thoughts, please?

Much smaller and paler than Yellow Toadflax, also with far fewer flowers, it seems to have some characteristics of Pale Toadflax Linaria repens - (eg the violet veins in the flower) and some characteristics of Prostrate Toadflax Linaria supina (eg the long spur). Leaves around 3cm long and narrow - 2mm at broadest - more or less spirally arranged.

Thanks, Rob



same pic cropped to show the violet veins and long spur:

[treecreeper]

I think this is the hybrid between common and pale toadflax (L. vulgaris, L. repens). This is common in Birkenhead on old industrial sidings, where both parents grow.

[Rambling Rob]

Thanks treecreeper, I reckon you are right - the characters of those two would combine to make this one. Certainly the Yellow Toadflax was present further up the bank. I'll have to look a bit more carefully for the pale one.
Rob