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July 2009

According to folklore, the little
people of the forest wore these dainty little flowers as
gloves, which led to their original name, “folk’s
glove.” Legend also tells of the wee folk mischievously
distributing them to foxes to wear on their hen-house
raids, enabling their untraceable escapes.
The origin of the wildflower’s
scientific name, Digitalis, is a bit more
traceable. Because its thimble-size blossoms do fit the
human finger quite well, it is based on the Latin word
for finger. Yet despite its obvious connection to the
hand, it is to the human heart that the beautiful
foxglove has more of an impact.
As early as 1785, physicians noted
the effect of its dried leaves on heart action. Today
the species is grown commercially as the source of
Digitalis, a widely used heart drug to normalize an
irregular heartbeat, strengthen the force of heart
contractions and increase the amount of blood pumped
with each heartbeat.
Common
foxglove
Digitalis purpurea
up to 5 feet
Habitat:
shady, well-drained loamy soils
© Tim Herd
photo by Tim Herd |