Flora Report

I choose to do my Flora report on the Dalmatian Toadflax, or the Linaria Dalmatica. It can grow to about 0.8 to 1.5 meters tall. The lifespan of a Dalmatian Toadflax is about three years. The time the plant sprouts is during April and May. The plant will last throughout the summer and die when winter comes again. Dalmatian Toadflax has yellow flowers that have two lips. It is hairless, and a single plant can have 10 or more stems that sprout from the roots up. The plants reproduce by spreading seeds by wind. A single plant can produce up to 500,000 seeds. Roots can be from 4-10 feet deep. The Dalmatian’s seed can live up to 10 years in the soil. The plants also have roots that spread horizontally across the soil, allowing it to spread effectively. The normal habitat for the Dalmatian Toadflax is a dry environment with rugged dirt that has been disturbed by construction or overgrazing. The plant is found in over 22 states, mostly in the west. The larger infestations occur mostly in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. These plants are hard to control and get rid of. They spread very fast; the seeds are easily transported through livestock, farm equipment, or outdoor recreational devices. Dalmatian Toadflax is competitive when it comes to water supply, which makes them a big problem on the elk refuge. The plants take water from grasses that are edible; Dalmatian Toadflax can be dangerous to the animals that eat it.

Resources:http://www.nwcb.wa.gov/weed_info/Written_findings/Linaria_dalmatica.html
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/weedfeeders/toadflax.html
http://weeds.nmsu.edu/downloads/dalmatian_toadflax_factsheet_11-06-05.pdf