Comandra umbellata aka Bastard Toadflax

Comandra umbellata is a small plant that lives for years. Its common names are false toadflax and bastard toadflax. It belongs to Santalaceae, the sandalwood family. Its native range spans North America south to northern Mexico. It also grows from southeastern Europe to Türkiye. It is native to the American Midwest, but not Britain or Ireland. Kew places it in a temperate climate, with a subshrub growth form.

In gardens, plants reach about 0.5–1 foot [0.15–0.30 metres] tall. Each shoot has one stem and simple, undivided leaves. The leaves grow in turn along each side of the stem. Their edges have no teeth. The green leaves have a frosted look. Rhizomes, or stems below ground, spread and send up more shoots. This forms groups of plants, called colonies, rather than one lone clump. The Chicago Botanic Garden calls its growth form creeping. Its short shoots sit below the taller prairie plants.

Small white flowers form a cyme, a flower cluster above the leaves. The flowers have four, five, or six petals, reports say. The Chicago account gives late April through May for bloom. Its separate bloom list gives May through June. These records together place bloom in spring to early summer. The flower clusters sit at the tops of short stems. Pale blooms and frosted leaves mark the plant's spring growth. The sources give no details about its fruit.

Full sun suits this plant when grown in gardens. The Chicago Botanic Garden lists USDA hardiness zones 4–8. It says the plant needs a moderate amount of water. Plants can grow in poor soil that contains gravel. The sources support these needs but give no soil pH range. They give no width for the colonies at full growth. Rhizomes let the plant spread, but the sources give no rate. They do not state its needs for pruning or feeding.

Suggested uses in gardens include beds and borders. Its spring show suits the low layer of a prairie planting. By June, taller prairie plants can hide its short shoots. This can make even an established colony hard to see. The plant is thus most in view before taller growth takes over. The matching sources give no details on pests or disease. They give no confirmed food uses or assessment of toxic effects. These gaps do not show that the plant is safe or dangerous.