Antirrhinum majus
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| Antirrhinum majus | ||||||||||||||
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 Plant growing in an old wall in Thasos, Greece
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| Antirrhinum majus L. |
Antirrhinum majus (Snapdragon) is a species of Antirrhinum native to the Mediterranean region, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern France, and east to Turkey and Syria.[2][3]
It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 0.5-1 m tall, rarely up to 2 m. The leaves are spirally arranged, broadly lanceolate, 1-7 cm long and 2-2.5 cm broad. The flowers are produced on a tall spike, each flower is 3.5-4.5 cm long, zygomorphic, with two 'lips' closing the corolla tube; wild plants have pink to purple flowers, often with yellow lips. The fruit is an ovoid capsule 10-14 mm diameter, containing numerous small seeds.[4]
The common name derives from the flowers which, when squeezed, open their "mouths". The plants are pollinated by bumblebees, and the flowers close over the insects when they enter and deposit pollen on their bodies.
There are five subspecies:[2][3]
- Antirrhinum majus subsp. majus. Southern France, northeast Spain.
- Antirrhinum majus subsp. cirrhigerum (Ficalho) Franco. Southern Portugal, southwest Spain.
- Antirrhinum majus subsp. linkianum (Boiss. & Reut.) Rothm. Western Portugal (endemic).
- Antirrhinum majus subsp. litigiosum (Pau) Rothm. Southeastern Spain.
- Antirrhinum majus subsp. tortuosum (Bosc) Rouy. Throughout the species' range.
[edit] Cultivation and uses
The species is often planted in gardens for its flowers. Although perennial, it is often treated as an annual plant, particularly in colder areas where they may not survive the winter. Numerous cultivars are available, including plants with lavender, orange, pink, yellow, or white flowers, and also plants with peloric flowers, where the normal flowering spike is topped with a single large, symmetrical flower.[4][5]
It often escapes from cultivation, and naturalised populations occur widely in Europe north of the native range,[4] and elsewhere in temperate regions of the world.[3]
In the laboratory it is a model organism[1], for example containing the gene DEFICIENS which provides the letter "D" in the acronym MADS-box for a family of genes which are important in plant development.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Oyama, R. K., & Baum, D. A. (2004). Phylogenetic relationships of North American Antirrhinum (Veronicaceae). American Journal of Botany 91: 918-925
- ^ a b Flora Europaea: Antirrhinum majus
- ^ a b c Germplasm Resources Information Network: Antirrhinum majus
- ^ a b c Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. ISBN 0-340-40170-2
- ^ Huxley, A, ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. ISBN 0-333-47494-5
[edit] External links
