Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Ontario Weeds: Dwarf snapdragon

Table of Contents

1. Name
2. Other Names
3. Family
4. General Description
   • Photos and Pictures
5. Flowers and Fruit
6. Stems and Roots
7. Habitat
8. Similar Species
9. Related Links

Name: Dwarf snapdragon, Chaenorrhinum minus (L) Lange,

Other Names: chénorhinum mineur, Dwarf toadflax, Small toadflax, linaire mineure, Linaria minor L.

Family: Figwort or Snapdragon Family (Scrophulariaceae)

General Description: Annual, reproducing only by seed. Photos and Pictures

Stems & Roots: Stems erect, 10-40cm (4-16in.) high, usually much-branched throughout, glandular-hairy; leaves alternate (1 per node), sometimes in tufts along the stem, short and very narrow; flower stalks slender, 1-2cm (2/5-4/5in.) long, from leaf axils throughout the plant.

Flowers & Fruit: Flowers resembling Toadflax in shape but much smaller (6-8mm, ¼-1/3in. long), and light blue to purplish with a yellow spot; seedpods nearly spherical, about 5mm (1/5in.) in diameter. Flowers from June to September.

Habitat: Dwarf snapdragon occurs throughout Ontario usually in cinders and gravel along railway rights-of-way but occasionally in other waste places, cultivated fields and gardens, and has recently become a common weed in many strawberry fields.

Similar Species: It is distinguished by its small, erect, much-branched, somewhat sticky-hairy stems with short, narrow leaves often in tufts, and very small, light blue to purplish snapdragon-like flowers.

Related Links

... on general Weed topics
... on weed identification, order OMAFRA Publication 505: Ontario Weeds
... on weed control, order OMAFRA Publication 75: Guide To Weed Control

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