Digitalis is a plant commonly known as what?

Digitalis is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennials, shrubs, and biennials commonly called foxgloves.

This genus is native to western and southwestern Europe, western and central Asia, Australasia and northwestern Africa. The scientific name means "finger-like" and refers to the ease with which a flower of Digitalis purpurea can be fitted over a human fingertip. The flowers are produced on a tall spike, are tubular, and vary in colour with species, from purple to pink, white, and yellow.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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49 Comments

Sarah Hearn-vonFoerster

A good gardener knows that beauty is often poisonous.

Carroll Price

Strange that the explanation does not mention digitalis as having been used as a heart medication. If I'm not mistaken it was used primarily as a heart stimulant (regulator) prior to the introduction of electronic pacemakers.

goosenbuster

Digtalis digoxin, lanoxin, is used to slow and strengthen heart contractions. This is a very common medication and has been around since early medicine. Because it slows the heart it is important to with hold the dose if the pulse is below 60 beats per minute.

jsmcdonald

thanks to Jessica Fletcher, I got this correct.

Nick Hand

Pretty obvious, since none of the alternative answers given sounded like common names.

Chrissie

Laurie Bowman, picture didn't look like digitalis/foxglove to me.

Chrissie

namiphi, they are all flowering plants.

Cliff Occomore

My late wife used to say she was going to dry some and sprinkle it on my food!

namiphi

Love flowers so I knew it had to be foxglove the other named didn't seem like a plant.

Banibrata Mukherjee

Highly effective medicine for heart failure.

teresab

And self seeds in the garden like some kind of madness, great in the spring with lots of height and trumpet flowers that the bees love hiding in. Then it dies off and looks untidy.