Linaria vulgaris aka Common Toadflax

Linaria vulgaris, also known as common toadflax, yellow toadflax, or butter-and-eggs, is a flowering plant native to Europe, Siberia, and Central Asia. It has also been introduced and is now common in North America, where it has become invasive in several western states, including the Piedmont and mountain areas of NC. This herbaceous perennial plant, which belongs to the Plantaginaceae family, has a taproot or long, creeping shoots and can grow up to 90 cm tall. Its stem is erect, simple or branched, and densely leafy. The leaves are linear-lanceolate or linear, pointed, curled at the edges, and glabrous, and the flowers are collected in dense, long apical racemes, 5-15 cm long. The plant is food for most butterflies and contains tannins, peganin alkaloid, flavone glycosides, organic acids, pectins, saponins, vitamin C, and minerals. While it has not been fully investigated, the plant has been tested for its medicinal properties and has been found to act as a mild laxative without side effects. However, it is important to note that the plant can be poisonous. To control its growth, it is recommended to choose an herbicide labeled for use against toadflax and apply it according to the label instructions in spring for Dalmatian toadflax and in late summer or fall for yellow toadflax.