Digitalis grandiflora

CHRISTINA GEER

Kingdom: Plantae Subkingdom: Tracheobionta Superdivision: Spermatophyta Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Subclass: Asteridae Order: Scrophulariales : Schrophulariaceae : : Taxonomy

 Previously known as Digitalis ambigua

 Commonly known as Yellow Foxglove Geographic Distribution

 native to the temperate parts of Europe and western Siberia

 naturalized in the northeastern and north central parts of the United States, as well as parts of Ontario, Canada

 found up to altitudes of 500m Geographic Distribution Native

 commonly found:  along stream banks  in mixed and deciduous forests  along forest edges Taxonomic Description

 Biennial: First year as basal rosette of leaves, will bolt and flower in second year  campanulate flowers are yellow, often with brown speckles  hardy in zones 3-8  tolerant of shade and moisture  May persist 5-8 years  source of digitoxins on the Market

 There are many cultivars of , including ‘Foxy’, which will bloom in one year.  Ball sells Digitalis grandiflora as Digitalis ambigua, as well as a dwarf form, Dwarf Carillon Product Specifications

 Long bloom time (at least 8 weeks/ year)  Persists in landscape for many years  A selection with lower toxin levels could be a big selling point Market Niche

 Limitations: Toxicity, biennial  Sales strategy:  Robert Frost tie-in  “quaint,” “cottage,” “old-fashioned,” and “picturesque”  Use the common name, Foxglove, rather than the more medical-sounding Digitalis  Pictures of planted cottage gardens  Display with other classic cutting garden flowers  Provide sample garden plans Cottage Gardens Production Schedule

 Seed propagated, cold period required for bloom

 Ball seed recommends sowing in either July, and overwintering at temps of 30-35F, or sowing in October, and overwintering at 35-40F before finishing at 60-65F.

 The second option would compete for heated greenhouse space in the winter and early spring Experiments

 Germination: 86% of 288 germinating within 7 days, and 89% within 14 days

 Pro-Gibb: A study on Digitalis purpurea ‘Foxy’ found that one application of Pro-Gibb at 10-50 ppm reduced time to bloom by about 30 days. Higher rates decreased quality.

 I sprayed 9 of 18 with 50 ppm Pro-Gibb, leaving 9 as control. Works Cited

 Anisko, Tomasz. When Perennials Bloom: an Almanac for Planning and Planting. Google Books. 3 March 2012. http://books.google.com/books?id=ODYpMZXFnSQC&pg=PA173&dq=digitalis +grandiflora&hl=en&sa=X&ei=4YQ0T6blJMnFsQKOxNSxAg&ved=0CE4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=digitalis %20grandiflora&f=false   Armitage, Allan. Armitage’s garden Perennials. Google Books. 3 March 2012. http://books.google.com/books?id=3IqCm2rsuEEC&pg=PA108&dq=digitalis +grandiflora&hl=en&sa=X&ei=4YQ0T6blJMnFsQKOxNSxAg&ved=0CFoQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=digitalis %20grandiflora&f=false   Ball Information. 2012. Ball Horticultural Company. 20 March 2012. http://www.ballhort.com/growers/plant_info.aspx?phid=023100051000001&dispmode=   Germplasm Resources Information Network [Online Database]. 2012. United States Department of Agriculture, National Genetic Resources Program. 3 March 2012. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?102280   Keever, Gary. “Response of ‘Foxy’ Foxglove to GA3 and Cold Treatment.” Journal of Environmental Horticulture. 1998. Horticultural Research Institute. 3 March 2012. http://www.hriresearch.org/docs/publications/JEH/JEH_1999/JEH_1999_17_1/JEH%2017-1-35-38.pdf   Kole, Chittaranjan. Wild Crop Relatives: Genomic and Breeding Resources. Google Books 3 March 2012. http://books.google.com/books?id=UdDMCfgr4dEC&pg=PA105&dq=digitalis +grandiflora&hl=en&sa=X&ei=p4o0T62qGfTLsQL9pvSsAg&ved=0CHsQ6AEwCTgK#v=onepage&q=digitalis %20grandiflora&f=false   Natural Resources Conservation Service Plants Database. 2012. United States Department of Agriculture. 3 March 2012. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=DIGR4

Questions?