Digitalis purpurea
Sp. Pl. 2: 621. 1753.
Distribution
Introduced; B.C., N.B., N.S., Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.), Ont., Que., Ark., Calif., Colo., Conn., Idaho, Maine, Mass., Md., Mich., Mont., N.C., N.H., N.J., N.Y., Ohio, Oreg., Pa., Utah, Vt., W.Va., Wash., Wis., Wyo., Europe, introduced also in Mexico, Central America, South America, Asia, Africa, Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia.
Discussion
Subspecies 5 (1 in the flora).
Digitalis purpurea was once used as a commercial source of digitalin, is widely cultivated, and has many cultivars. Some plants have been identified as European subspecies; all variability in the flora area appears to be from cultivars of subsp. purpurea. Digitalis ×mertonensis B. H. Buxton & C. D. Darlington (strawberry or giant foxglove) is a hybrid of D. purpurea with D. grandiflora that is sometimes cultivated.
Selected References
None.