Antirrhinum majus
Snapdragon variety
The Great snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) or Garden snapdragon is a plant which belongs to the family of the plantain family ( Plantaginaceae ). The scientific name derives from gr αντί = "equals", "how" and ῥίς, ινος = " nose ". Majus is Latin and has the meaning " greater " but also "MAY", bearing in mind that the month of May was named after a Roman God growth Majus.
Features
The Great snapdragon is a perennial herbaceous plant that reaches the plant height of 20 to 120 centimeters. However, the varieties are cultivated mostly as annuals. The above glandular stem is terete, sometimes woody to the middle. The against-constant leaves are simple, elliptic or ovate to broadly lanceolate, sometimes linear and mostly bare. Stipules absent.
Most eight to 30 short -stalked flowers are borne in an inflorescence; the inflorescence axis is glandular- hairy. The hermaphrodite flowers are zygomorphic. The sepals are ovate. The crown is 25 to 45 (rarely to 70 ) mm long and in different colors (red, pink, orange, yellow, white). The " throat " of the crown is closed by protrusion of the lower lip, it is called here "masked" by, and everted sac- shaped at the base. The Unterlippenwulst usually wears a yellow time. It is a circle with four stamens present. The ovary is upper constant. The flowering period extends from June to September.
The large, glandular capsule fruit dismisses the seeds by pore openings and overhangs the calyx at maturity far.
Occurrence and subspecies
The distribution area of wild forms of the Great Snapdragon is the Mediterranean region of Morocco and Portugal to France and to Turkey and Syria. They grow well in rocky crevices and walls. The numerous cultivated forms are grown in the temperate regions of the world. They tend to naturalizing.
There are several subspecies (selection):
- Antirrhinum majus L. subsp. majus: home southern France and northeastern Spain.
- Antirrhinum majus subsp. cirrhigerum ( Ficalho ) Franco: home southern Portugal and southwestern Spain.
- Antirrhinum majus subsp. linkianum ( Boiss. & Reut. ) Rothm: It is endemic in western Portugal.
- Antirrhinum majus subsp. litigiosum (Pau) Rothm: History southeastern Spain.
- Antirrhinum majus subsp. Tortuosum ( Bosc ) Rouy: It occurs throughout the range of the species.
Use
The Great snapdragon is widely used as an ornamental plant in borders and as a cut flower. It is usually grown as an annual. The species is in cultivation since the 15th century. There are numerous varieties in different groups of varieties.
Trivial names
For the Great snapdragon or were, sometimes only regionally, including the names Froschgoscherl ( Austria ), Armsünderkraut, Big Dorant (Thuringia ), Dog head ( Silesia), calf mouth ( Switzerland ), calf nose (Silesia ), Leuarächali (St. Gallen), lions mouth ( Switzerland ), Liwenmeltcher ( Transylvania), Saccarellenkrut ( Rendsburger pharmacy) Schnurra (St. Gallen in Gaster ) and Sterkbandt ( middle High German ) are common.