Common Toadflax / Lanilist

Description:

It is a perennial plant with short spreading roots, erect to decumbent stems 15 - 90 cm high, with fine, threadlike, glaucous blue-green leaves 2 - 6 cm long and 1 - 5 mm broad. The flowers are similar to those of the snapdragon, 25 - 33 mm long, pale yellow except for the lower tip which is orange, borne in dense terminal racemes from mid summer to mid autumn.

Habitat:

It is native to most of Europe and northern Asia, from the United Kingdom south to Spain in the west, and east to eastern Siberia and western China. It has also been introduced and is now common in North America. The plant is widespread on ruderal spots, along roads, in dunes, and on disturbed and cultivated land.

Notes:

This plant has also been used in folk medicine for a variety of ailments. A tea made from the leaves was taken as a laxative and strong diuretic as well as for jaundice, dropsy, and enteritis with drowsiness. For skin diseases and piles, either a leaf tea or an ointment made from the flowers was used. In addition, a tea made in milk instead of water has been used as an insecticide. It is confirmed to have diuretic and fever-reducing properties. Other names: Yellow Toadflax, Butter-and-eggs, butter haycocks, bread and butter, bunny haycocks, bunny mouths, calf's snout, bogorodičin lan, divlji lan, lanika, lanilist žuti...