Growing form
Biennial or perennial herb.
Height
40–120 cm (16–48 in.) Stem unbranched, upper part stiff-hairy.
Flower
Corolla campanulate (bell-shaped) or funnel-shaped, slightly zygomorphic, yellow, usually brown-veined or spotted inside, 30–45 mm (3.2–8 in.) long, fused, shallowly 4-lobed, nodding. Calyx 5-lobed. Stamens 4, of which 2 long and 2 short. Gynoecium fused, single-styled. Inflorescence on a long, abundant one-sided terminal raceme.
Leaves
Alternate, long-stalked at base, becoming shorter-stalked towards the top. Blade elliptic–narrowly elliptic–ovate, irregularly with serrated margins, underside with rigid hairs, usually glabrous on top.
Fruit
Ovate capsule.
Habitat
Forest margins, wasteland, gardens. Ornamental and escape.
Flowering time
July–August.

Genus Digitalis has around 20 species, most of which are European and Mediterranean. Big-flowered foxglove is naturally distributed from central Europe to far into Siberia. Near Finland it grows ferally in the Baltic countries as far north as Riga and Saarenmaa. In keeping with its scientific name grandiflora, this large-flowered and beautiful plant is grown in Finland as an ornamental. Unlike its better-known relative common foxglove (D. purpurea), it thrives for years in the same habitat, although it doesn’t self-seed so easily. On the Åland Islands in south-west Finland it established itself quite well ferally, although it is quite rare.

Like other members of genus Digitalis, big-flowered foxglove is highly poisonous due to the glycosides digitoxin and digitalein. This is good to bear in mind if one is thinking about having it in the garden – at least families with small children should think twice about this. Compounds in digitalis are used as heart medicine and big-flowered foxglove is grown around the world for its medicinal properties. In Finland, however, it is not an important plant in that sense.

Straw Foxglove (Small Yellow Foxglove)

Digitalis lutea

NOT TRANSLATED YET. Ainakin joistakin puutarhoista meillä voi tavata toistakin (kolmattakin) keltakukkaista sormustinkukkaa (myös rohtosormustinkukka voi olla keltakukkainen). Tämä kolmas keltakukkainen sormustinkukka on lajinimeltään pikkusormustinkukka ja niinkuin arvata voi, se on näistä maintuista lajeista pienin (40–80 cm), pienikukkasin (alle 25 mm) ja lisäksi vielä kapealehtisin. Pikkusormustinkukan teriöt ovat täplättömiä ja sisäpuolelta karvaisia.

Woolly Foxglove (Grecian Foxglove)

Digitalis lanata

Villasormustinkukka on meillä melko harvinainen koristekasvi, joka kuitenkin saattaa karata aidan taakse, ei kovin kauaksi. Sen villakarvaiset kukat ovat kermankeltaisia, tummasuonisia. Kooltaan villasormustinkukka on samaa luokkaa kuin pikkusormustinkukka.

Big-flowered Foxglove

Taxonomy

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