Bastard Toadflax, Star Toadflax, Comandra umbellata (L.) Nutt., Native Minnesota Wildflower plant, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Bastard Toadflax	Comandra umbellata (L.) Nutt.	Sandlewood (Santalaceae)	Upland	Late Spring to Early Summer
Other names and notes	(Star Toadflax). A short erect plant with small greenish white flowers in terminal clusters. Oblong 1 to 1 1/2" leaves, alternate below the clusters, with smooth edges. Stems are simple, sometimes with a few branches. Flowers open to a five lobed bell shaped calyx without petals, about 1/4" wide, the top resembling a star, hence the alternate common name. Fruit is a dry berry containing a seed. The plant is parasitic. It grows from a horizontal rhizome and sends out underground suckers to parasitize nearby plants, hence the common name.


Flower clusters of Mid-May before opening


Above: The flowers as they begin to open.

Notes: This plant was listed on Martha Crone's 1951 inventory of plants in the Garden at that time. It is considered native to all of Minnesota except for several scattered counties. Martha Crone reported planting it in 1937. Former Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden Gardener Cary George said that of all the plant identification signs that he made, the sign for this plant was one of two signs most often stolen, the other being "NO PICKING".

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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 15, 16, 30, 31, 33, W2 & W3. Distribution principally from W2 and also 31, 34 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4 & 4a. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.

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