Aureolaria virginica aka Downy Yellow False Foxglove

Aureolaria virginica is a wildflower that lives for years. It belongs to the Orobanchaceae family. Names include downy false foxglove and Virginia oak-leach. It is native to southeastern Canada, the eastern United States, and Texas. It grows where the climate is temperate. In North Carolina, it grows in the mountains and piedmont. It grows in coastal areas there, too. It lives in woods, along stream banks, and on disturbed ground.

This plant gets some of its nutrients from white oak roots. This root link makes it hemiparasitic. Its green leaves also make food through photosynthesis. Yet it can live without a host plant. Its form may arch or cascade. The green stems feel rough and are square in cross-section. They are stiff and brittle, with soft hairs. Lower leaves have stalks and grow in pairs across the stem. They may be oval or lanceolate, shaped like a lance. Some have teeth or lobes along their edges. Hairs line the leaf veins, but much of each blade is smooth.

Yellow flowers grow in racemes, or clusters, at stem tips. Five joined petals form each bloom's funnel-shaped tube. Blooms sit in the axils of small bracts. These are the joints where bracts meet the stem. NC State lists June through August as the main bloom time. Elsewhere, its profile notes spring and fall blooms. Each bloom opens in the morning and fades that day. The bright blooms stand out in the garden. They draw bees and butterflies. The profile lists hummingbirds, too. The fruit is a dry, hairy capsule shaped like an egg. It splits when ripe. Fruit is present in summer and fall.

Grow this plant in part sun or shade. NC State lists deep shade as well. It can grow in clay, loam, sand, or rocky soil. It copes with dry spells but does not suit wet soil. Its woodland sites range from dry to somewhat moist. The listed USDA hardiness range is zones 4–9. Both growth and care needs have a medium rating. Grow new plants from seed. NC State says to place seeds or plants near white oaks.

Use it in native plantings or woodland beds. It suits gardens that draw pollinators, too. Other uses include slopes, banks, and gardens planned to withstand drought. Deer eat the plant, which can reduce its garden show. The supplied sources give no details on specific pests or diseases. They give no evidence of edible uses or toxicity, either.