EMILY de CAMP HERBARIUM

COMMON NAME: Butter-and-Eggs
OTHER COMMON NAME(S): Toadflax, Yellow Toadflax, Brideweed, Devil’s Flower, Hogmouth, Ladies’-Slippers, Rabbit-Ears
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Linaria vulgaris
FAMILY: Scrophulariaceae
COMMUNITY: Edge
STATUS: Naturalized Native of Europe
LIFESPAN: Perennial
HEIGHT: 1 to 3 feet
FLOWERTING TIME: Early June to November
FRUITING TIME: Mid June to late November
DISTRIBUTION: Found throughout the United States ~ Statewide in NJ
IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS: Leaves alternate, entire, long and narrow, numerous, without hair ~ Flowers sulfur-yellow with orange marks, arranged in terminal dense racemes ~ Leaves and stems pale blue-green and without hair

GENERAL INFORMATION: This family (Scrophulariaceae) commonly called the Figwort or Snapdragon Family consists of 224 genera and 4,450 species of herbs and a few shrubs and trees. Members of this family are cultivated as ornamentals including Snapdragons, Slipper-Flowers and Empress-Tree.

The name “toadflax”, explained in 1597 by botanist Gerard, is derived from the small, slender stalks from which long narrow leaves grow like flax. The yellow flowers have a mouth like a frog--if you pinch the hinge of its jaw, the frog mouth opens. Butter-and-eggs is the American name derived from its colors.

Thoreau wrote (1852) of “butter-and-eggs...it is rather rich-colored, with a not disagreeable scent. It is called a troublesome weed. Flowers must not be too profuse nor obtrusive; else they acquire the reputation of weeds”.

Native Americans used a plant infusion (medicine prepared by steeping flowers or leaves without boiling) as an emetic, and a cold leaf fusion was taken for diarrhea. The 1998 edition of the Physician’s Desk Reference for Herbal Medicines reports that this plant can be used internally to aid digestion and to treat urinary tract disorders. It may be used externally (poultice) for hemorrhoids, skin rashes and skin ulcers, and for festering wounds.

Please note: While harvesting wild berries/fruit is permitted at Island Beach State Park, visitors must adhere to park regulations at all times and must not damage vegetation or go off designated trails. This information is presented for educational purposes.