SafePlants

Scale Leaf False Foxglove (Agalinis aphylla)

The Scale Leaf False Foxglove, scientifically known as Agalinis aphylla, also goes by the common names Leafless False Foxglove, Scale-leaf Gerardia, and Scale-leaf Agalinis.

Considerations for Pets

• The text mentions that the leaves of some false foxgloves can be host plants for certain insects.
• Other *Agalinis* species are host to Buckeye butterflies.
• Some relatives, *Aureolaria virginica*, are nibbled on by grasshoppers.

Considerations for Children

• Leaves of some false foxgloves can be rolled by spicebush caterpillars.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Agalinis aphylla
• Family: OROBANCHACEAE (based on related species *Agalinis fasciculata*)
• Synonyms: Scale-leaf Gerardia, Scale-leaf Agalinis
• Other *Agalinis* species mentioned include *Agalinis auriculata*, *Agalinis fasciculata*, *Agalinis linifolia*, and *Agalinis maritima*.
• The text also refers to *Aureolaria pedicularia* (Fern-leaf False-foxglove) and *Aureolaria virginica* (Downy False Foxglove) as relatives.

Distribution and Habitat

• Significantly rare in North Carolina.
• Grows in pine savannas.
• Found in Florida wetlands, specifically excluding longleaf or slash pine flatwoods in some cases.
• Also occurs in Mississippi.

Morphological Characteristics

• Slender.
• Leaves are scale-like, up to 2 mm long (usually shorter), and appressed to the stem.
• Leaves are reduced to tiny scale-like triangles.
• Leaf arrangement is opposite (two leaves per node along the stem).

Ecological Role

• The plant is FACW, indicating that it usually occurs in wetlands, but is occasionally found in non-wetlands.

Interactions with Other Organisms

• False Foxglove (Agalinis species) is a host plant for Buckeye butterflies.