Family
Plantaginaceae
Common Name
Striped toadflax
Regulation
Primary Noxious, Class 2 in the Canadian Weed Seeds Order, 2016 under the Seeds Act.
Distribution
Canadian: Occurs in NB, NL, NS (Brouillet et al. 2016Footnote 1)
Worldwide: Native to Europe and introduced in North America (Hanf 1983Footnote 2). In the United States, it is present in the northeast (USDA-NRCS 2016Footnote 3).
Duration of life cycle
Annual
Seed or fruit type
Seed
Identification features
Size
- Seed length: 1.3 - 2.0 mm
- Seed width: 1.0 - 1.3 mm
Shape
- Blocky, oval-shaped seed with rounded edges
Surface Texture
- Seed covered in ridges that form a wavy-wrinkled pattern
Colour
- Seed dull brownish-black, immature seeds are greyish
Other Features
- The seed edges are granular.
Habitat and Crop Association
Cultivated fields, old fields, pastures, thickets, roadsides, railway lines and disturbed areas (Hanf 1983Footnote 2, Darbyshire 2003Footnote 4).
Similar species
Broomleaf toadflax (Linaria genistifolia)
- Broomleaf toadflax seeds are a similar size, dark colour and rough surface as striped toadflax.
- Broomleaf toadflax seeds are shiny black, have one tapered end and sharp winged edges compared to striped toadflax.
Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica)
- Dalmatian toadflax seeds are a similar size, blackish colour and rough surface as striped toadflax.
- Dalmatian toadflax seeds are shiny black, straight-edged blocky and have sharp winged edges compared to striped toadflax.
Photos
Similar species
