(Digitalis grandiflora)
Digitalis grandiflora, the yellow foxglove,big-flowered foxglove, or large yellow foxglove, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Digitalis, family Plantaginaceae (formerly Scrophulariaceae). It is native to southern Europe and Asia. In mountains it grows on warm, bushy slopes or areas left after logging. The Latin specific epithet grandiflora means “large flowered”. It is a herbaceous perennial growing from a short rootstock with fibrous roots. D. grandiflora has glossy green, veined leaves, whose flowering stem can reach a height of 70–120 cm (28–47 in). The pale yellow bell-shaped flowers are spaced out on the stem, 3–4 cm (1–2 in) long and show a netted brown marking in their interior. In the wild plants bloom in June and July. Digitalis grandiflora is long lived perennial, it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. It is winter hardy is USDA zones 3 to 8 and grows best in moisture retentive, but well drained, organic soils in part shade. Cultivated plants in Germany bloom from June to August, in North America, flowering occurs from May to June in Missouri and from June to July in Ohio; with the typical bloom period lasting eight weeks. Digitalis is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennial plants, shrubs, and biennials, commonly called foxgloves. Digitalis is native to Europe, western Asia, and northwestern Africa. The flowers are tubular in shape, produced on a tall spike, and vary in colour with species, from purple to pink, white, and yellow. The scientific name means "finger". The genus was traditionally placed in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae, but phylogenetic research led taxonomists to move it to the Veronicaceae in 2001. More recent phylogenetic work has placed it in the much enlarged family Plantaginaceae. The best-known species is the common foxglove, Digitalis purpurea. This biennial is often grown as an ornamental plant due to its vivid flowers which range in colour from various purple tints through pink and purely white. The flowers can also possess various marks and spottings. Other garden-worthy species include D. ferruginea, D. grandiflora, D. lutea, and D. parviflora. The term digitalis is also used for drug preparations that contain cardiac glycosides, particularly one called digoxin, extracted from various plants of this genus. Foxglove has medicinal uses but is also very toxic to humans and other animals, and consumption can even lead to death.