Snapdragon

July 1st, 2008

Botanical Name: Antirrhinum magus (LINN.)
Family: N.O. Scrophularaceae
Part Used: Leaves.
Habitat:Snapdragon is closely allied to the Toadflaxes. It is really not truly a native herb, but has become naturalized in many places, on old walls and chalk cliffs, being an escape from gardens, where it has been long cultivated.

Description:Anual. Snapdragons are a particular favorite of children who like to pinch the tiny individual blossoms and make the “dragon mouth” open and close. Their large, blossom-laden flower heads are faintly fragrant and come in in a wide assortment of bright colors. The vertical flower spikes, opening gradually from the bottom to the top, are available in two heights: dwarf varieties grow to about 10 inches while the taller types grow to a height of 18-24 inches. A vareity that grows up to 5 feet has been developed, but it must be staked. A single snapdragon plant may produce seven or eight blossom spikes in the course of a summer.

Flowering Season: Spring to early summer, fall
Light Requirements: Sun to partial shade
Flower Color: Lavender, orange, pink, red, yellow, white

Snapdragons make excellent cutflowers and excel in beds and at the front of borders.The botanical name, Antirrhinum, refers to the snout-like form of the flower. Gardeners used to be less than enthusiastic about snapdragons as cut flowers because blossoms tended to “shatter”–drop off shortly after being fertilized by bees, but plant breeders have developed shatterproof strains. Snapdragons flourish in well-fertilized soil and full sun.

Sow seeds indoors eight weeks before the last frost. Moving seedlings outdoors as early as a the bed can be worked. They will tolerate frost. In Zones 8-10, seedlings started in a sheltered seedbed may be moved outdoors any time in the fall for winter and spring flowering. Plants should stand from 6 to 12 inches apart, depending on the size of the variety planted. Seedlings purchased from a garden center where conditions are carefully controled will usually bloom earlier than those started at home. If possible, choose rust resistant varieties. When the plants are 2 to 4 inches tall, pinch off the stem tips if shorter but more abundant flower spikes are desired. Then, as the flowers mature, use them freely for bouquets; the cutting will force plants to produce additional stems that will bloom later in the season. These plants will benefit from deadheading, which will prolong their flowering period.

Medicinal Action and Uses: The plant has bitter and stimulant properties, and the leaves of this and several allied species have been employed on the Continent in cataplasms to tumours and ulcers.

It was valued in olden times like the Toadflax as a preservative against witchcraft.

The numerous seeds yield a fixed oil by expression, said to be little inferior to olive oil, for the sake of which it has been cultivated in Russia.

Other Species
Antirrhinum Orontium (Linn.), the Calf’s Snout or Small Snapdragon, an annual found occasionally in cornfields, in lime or chalk soil, with narrow, hairy leaves and small, reddish flowers, resembling those of the Snapdragon in form, is said to be poisonous, but the fact is not well established.

Its properties seem similar to those of the other species.

The name, Orontium, given it by Dodonaeus, is an old mediaeval generic name name for the Snapdragon.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

You may click to see:-> TOADFLEX.

Rewsources:
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/snapdr58.html
http://www.gardenguides.com/plants/info/flowers/annuals/snapdrag.asp
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/annuals/antirrhinum_majus.html