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Digitalis purpurea  L.
Purple foxglove
© 2016 Steve Matson
© 2016 Steve Matson
© 2016 Steve Matson
© 2023 Diana Wahl
© 2020 Woody Elliott
© 2016 Steve Matson
© 2022 Mike Russler
© 2018 Cynthia Powell
© 2018 Brian Charles
© 2019 Tatiana Manzanillo
© 2020 Woody Elliott
© 2020 Tatiana Manzanillo
© 2022 Mike Russler
© 2022 David Strauch
© 2022 David Strauch
© 2019 Mary Gerbic
© 2022 Mike Russler
© 2022 Mike Russler
© 2022 Mike Russler
© 2022 Mike Russler
© 2022 Mike Russler
© 2022 Mike Russler
© 2021 David Greenberger
Digitalis purpurea is a perennial herb that is not native to California.
Cal-IPC rating: limited
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
Observation Search
~1482 records in California
redone or more occurrences
within a 7.5-minute quadrangle
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
Genus: Digitalis
Family: Plantaginaceae  
(Scrophulariaceae)
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Toxicity: Do not eat any part of this plant.

Wetlands: Occurs usually in non wetlands, occasionally in wetlands

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS + POWO

Information about  Digitalis purpurea from other sources

[Wikipedia] Europe native: Digitalis purpurea, the foxglove or common foxglove, is a poisonous species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae,[2] native to and widespread throughout most of temperate Europe.[3] It has also naturalised in parts of North America and some other temperate regions. The plant is a popular garden subject, with many cultivars available. It is the original source of the heart medicine digoxin (also called digitalis or digitalin). This biennial plant grows as a rosette of leaves in the first year after sowing, before flowering and then dying in the second year (i.e. it is monocarpic). It generally produces enough seeds, however, so that new plants will continue to grow in a garden setting. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)

[Cal-IPC] Invasiveness: Digitalis purpurea (foxglove) is an erect, knee-high to head-high herbaceous perennial (family Scrophulariaceae) found along the central and northern California coast and in Sierra Nevada foothills, infesting moist meadows and roadsides. All parts of the plant are toxic. It readily colonizes areas of soil disturbance, forming dense patches that displace natural vegetation. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 03/28/2025).