Nuttallanthus canadensis (L.) D.A. Sutton
Blue toadflax, Canada toadflax
Blue toadflax is native to North America. It is pretty easy to miss. The foliage is thin, thinner than grass blades, and the flowers are diminutive, atop thin stems. From a distance, a colony of blue toadflax resembles a low-lying cloud of blue mist. It is pretty cool when you take a closer look at it.
Plants: 10–31″ (25–80 cm) in height. Stems may be green or reddish-green.
Leaves: Leaves are less than 1/32–1/16″ (1–2.5 mm) wide and up to ½–1″ (1.5–3 cm) long. They are sessile. Leaves closer to the top of flowering stalks are alternate, while lower leaves tend to be opposite.
Flowers: Flowers are blue, and ¼–½″ (6.3–12 mm) long. They are “bilaterally symmetrical,” that is, if you cut them down the center, the halves are mirror images. There are two petals on top, and three larger ones on the bottom, with a white patch in the center.
Fruits: Small, rounded seed capsules contain tiny, flattened seeds.
Habitats: Bare areas, grasslands, disturbed areas.
Online References:
Linaria canadensis (L.) Chaz.
6/16/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 3 × 2″ (7.9 × 5.8 cm) 
6/2/2016 · Townsend Wildlife Management Are, Townsend, Massachusetts 
6/14/2017 · J. Harry Rich State Forest, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 2½ × 3″ (7.3 × 7.6 cm) 
6/27/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 3½ × 4½″ (9.4 × 11 cm) 
6/5/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 1¾ × 1¾″ (4.8 × 4.9 cm) 
8/4/2009 · Near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 13″ (22 × 32 cm) 
6/14/2017 · J. Harry Rich State Forest, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 3½ × 5″ (9.3 × 12 cm) 
6/2/2016 · Townsend Wildlife Management Are, Townsend, Massachusetts 
6/5/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 1¾ × 1½″ (4.6 × 4.2 cm) 
7/25/2009 · J. Harry Rich Dirt Road, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 11 cm) 
6/30/2010 · Kennebunk Plains, Kennebunk, Maine · By Constance B. Kent 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Lamiales | Aromatic herbs and shrubs, including lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, ash, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, mint, basil, and rosemary |
| Family | Plantaginaceae | Plantains |
| Genus | Nuttallanthus | North American toadflax |
| Species | canadensis | “From Canada” |
Nuttallanthus canadensis description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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