Chaenorhinum minus, also known as small toadflax in Europe and dwarf snapdragon in the US and Canada, is a very diminutive member of the plant family Plantaginaceae.NatureGate - Small Toadflax It is native to continental Europe.Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora
Description Chaenorhinum minus differs from many toadflaxes in having alternate leaves growing singly. Its leaves and sepals are covered with glandular hairs. Leaves are glaucous and sepals are green or purple. Flowers vary from pale purple to white. It is an annual herb, with a maximum height of . It does not spread vegetatively. Flowering occurs June–July.
Taxonomy Chaenorhinum minus was given the name Antirrhinum minus in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus. The botanist René Louiche Desfontaines placed it in the genus Linaria in 1798 and finally it was moved to the genus Chaenorhinum in 1870 by Johan Lange, giving the species its accepted name. Together with its genus it is classified in the family Plantaginaceae.
Subspecies Four subspecies are accepted.
Chaenorhinum minus subsp. anatolicum – Ukraine, south European Russia, Turkey, Syria, northern Iraq, and Transcaucasia Chaenorhinum minus subsp. idaeum – Crete Chaenorhinum minus subsp. minus – Europe, Turkey, Morocco, and Algeria Chaenorhinum minus subsp. pseudorubrifolium – Corsica
Chaenorhinum minus has 24 synonyms of the species or of three of its four subspecies including 13 species names.
Table of Synonyms Name Year Synonym of: Notes Antirrhinum minor 1840 subsp. minus = het. Antirrhinum minus 1753 C. minus ≡ hom. Chaenorhinum idaeum 1943 subsp. idaeum = het. Chaenorhinum klokovii 1954 subsp. anatolicum = het. Chaenorhinum praetermissum 1870 subsp. minus = het. Chaenorhinum viscidum 1904 subsp. minus = het. Linaria minor 1798 C. minus ≡ hom. Linaria praetermissa 1842 subsp. minus = het. Linaria viscida 1794 subsp. minus = het. Microrrhinum idaeum 1977 subsp. idaeum = het. Microrrhinum klokovii 1980 subsp. anatolicum = het. Microrrhinum minus 1869 C. minus ≡ hom. Microrrhinum praetermissum 1980 subsp. minus = het. Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym; = heterotypic synonym
Habitat and distribution It is such a small plant that it relies upon disturbance to compete with other plants for light. Once a common weed in farmers' fields, it has suffered from agricultural intensification and is now mainly seen in gardens and around railways, as well as roadsides and industrial sites. Its UK distribution shows it favours chalky soil.
This species is native to continental Europe, found mainly in south and central Europe, though it reaches as far north as Sweden. It is considered to have 'archaeophyte' status in the United Kingdom ie. is thought to have been introduced many centuries ago. It has also been introduced to the US and Canada.USDA - Chaenorhinum minus
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