Mo-aureolaria

A couple of weeks ago I posted  pictures of Smooth False Foxglove (Aureolaria flava) from Waterloo Region.  I mentioned that there are 2 other Aureolaria species known from Ontario, Annual False Foxglove (A. pedicularia) and Downy False Foxglove (A. virginica).  Below are photos of each which were taken during an FBO trip to Norfolk County led by Don Sutherland and Wasyl Bakowsky a few years back.

Annual False Foxglove, when mature, takes on sort of a bushy form as opposed to the upright form of the other two species.  This species is also known as Fern-leaved Foxglove or in some areas Northern Oak-leach (due to it's parasitism on oak roots).  The leaves are finely divided (kind of resembling a wood fern) and the stems are covered in glandular hairs.

 Downy False Foxglove is quite rare in Ontario (S1), like the other species it prefers dry, sandy oak woodland or savannah.  Somewhat similar to Smooth False Foxglove in appearance, this species has downy stems as opposed to smooth-glabrous stems.

One of the biggest factors contributing to the decline of Aureolaria populations is the suppression of fire on the landscape and the resulting succession of woody species which occurs.  To learn more about fire ecology check out the Tallgrass Ontario prescribed burn webpage.