ANTIRRHINUM MAJUS

Family and Genus:- See- PLANTAGINACEAE

Common Name:- Snapdragon

Homotypic Synonyms:- Antirrhinum majus var. angustifolium, Antirrhinum

majus var. tortuosum

Meaning:- Antirrhinum (Gr) Nose-like.

Majus (L) Larger, greater, bigger.

General description:- Variable medium to tall perennial, to 1.5m in robust

specimens.

Stems:-

1) Up to 150(-200) cm. ascending to erect, branched, especially below, glabrous or

sometimes glandular-hairy in the inflorescence.

Leaves:-

1) 10-60 x 1-5(-10) mm, linear to linear-oblong, (1½-)2-12 times as long as wide,

distinctly cuneate at the base, the uppermost often opposite.

Flowers:-

1) Pink or purple, with a yellow or occasionally white palate, or all pale yellow,

large, 30-45 mm long, fragrant.

1) Bilaterally symmetric in a terminal spike-like inflorescence in which the individual

flowers are pedicellate.

2) Petals, form a broad swollen tube pouched at the base, the edge is two-lipped,

a) upper, being up-curved divided into two almost to the base.

b) lower, curved down and 3-lobed.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Gorges, road embankments, archaeological sites, stone walls, ruderal

habitats. 0-600 m. mainly around anthropogenic environments

Distribution:- Probably native to SW Europe, widely naturalised in Greece and

elsewhere in the Mediterranean region. Very limited distribution on Crete, but

perhaps seriously under recorded.

Flowering time:- Apr-June and occasionally at other times.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton