Antirrhinum is a genus of flora in the Plantaginaceae family , commonly known as dragon flower or snapdragon because of the flowers ’ picture resemblance to the face of a flying lizard that opens and close its mouth when laterally squeezed . They are also sometimes called toadflax or dog prime . They are native to rocky areas of Europe , the United States , Canada , and North Africa . Antirrhinumspecies are widely used as ornamental plants in border and as thinned flowers .
Snapdragons thrive in cool temperature , blooming well when night are in the low 40s ° atomic number 9 and days in the low 70s ° degree Fahrenheit . They can be develop as yearbook in most place or as perennials in USDA zone 7 - 1 . They vary by species and cultivar ; from as poor as 6 inches for gnome character to over 3 feet for taller varieties . The farewell are lance - shaped , green , sometimes with a grayish tint , and grow alternately along the stem turn .
Snapdragons have a unequalled flower bodily structure eff as a “ bilabiate ” or “ two - lipped ” corolla . The upper brim form a goon , and the small lip process as a landing place platform for pollinators . When the sides of the bloom are mildly squeezed , the lip open and close , mimicking a flying dragon ’s backtalk , which is how they set about their common name .
The size of it of the flowers varies with the mixed bag , but in general , each flower is about 1 to 1.5 in long . Larger or smaller flower can be found look on the cultivar . The flowers can be undivided or double , with some modern hybrids exhibit frilly petals or contrasting ‘ facial expression . ’ snapdragon amount in a across-the-board array of color , including :
The flowers are arranged in a spike heel or raceme at the top of the stem . This means they grow in a elongate manner along the stem , with the oldest flowers at the bottom and the youngest at the top , blossom increasingly upwards . Each flower has five flower petal , with the upper one form the hood or ‘ dragon ’s head ’ , and the other four forming the low-down back talk or ‘ dragon ’s jaw ’ . Inside the flower , there ’s a nectar guidebook or ‘ bee landing strip ’ which is often a different people of colour to lead pollinators to the ambrosia .
Some snapdragon varieties have a mild , sweet scent , but many are produce more for their visual appeal than their fragrance . Each individual flower go for about a week , but the spike will keep to bloom over several weeks , especially if deadheaded .
Snapdragon Cultivation
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