Butter and Eggs

Scrophulariaceae

LIFE FORM: Perennial

NATIVITY: Europe

VEGETATIVE CHARACTERISTICS:

Unbranched stems with long, narrow, grey-green leaves grow 1 to 2 feet tall.

FLOWERS:

Yellow, snapdragon-like flowers are produced at the ends of the stems from June through early autumn.

FRUIT/DISPERSAL AGENTS:

Reproduces by seed and by root sprouts that can form dense colonies.

ECOLOGICAL PREFERENCE:

This drought-tolerant species grows best in full sun. Prefers minimally maintained public parks and open space; vacant lots and rubble dump sites; abandoned grasslands (meadows); small-scale pavement openings (tree pits) and cracks; rock outcrops and stone walls; unmowed highway banks and median strips with frequent salt applications; railroad tracks with ballast substrate.

ENVIRONMENTAL FUNCTION:

Disturbance-adapted colonizer.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:

A tea made from the leaves is used as a laxative in European folk medicine.