Common Foxglove vs Hare's-tail

Digitalis purpurea compared with Lagurus ovatus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Foxglove	Hare's-tail
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Lamiales (Lamiales)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Plantaginaceae	Cricetidae
Genus	Digitalis	Lagurus
Species	Digitalis purpurea	Lagurus ovatus

Conservation Status

Common Foxglove

NE — Not Evaluated

Hare's-tail

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Foxglove	Hare's-tail
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Foxglove

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Zimbabwe), Asia (5 countries), Europe (16 countries), North America (4 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (5 countries).

Hare's-tail

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (India, Japan), Europe (13 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Brazil, Chile, Ecuador).

Common Foxglove

<em>Digitalis purpurea</em> is a biennial or short-lived perennial plant in the family Plantaginaceae, order Lamiales, commonly known as common foxglove. This species is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant and has been naturalized broadly across the globe, with presence documented across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America. <em>Digitalis purpurea</em> typically grows in open woodlands, woodland clearings, hillsides, and disturbed ground, particularly on acidic, well-drained soils. In its first year, the plant forms a rosette of large, softly hairy leaves; in its second year it produces a tall flower spike, often exceeding one meter, bearing distinctive tubular, purple-pink flowers with spotted throats. The flowers are adapted for pollination by bumblebees. The plant contains potent cardiac glycosides, particularly digitoxin and digoxin, compounds that have been critically important in the development of heart failure medications. Despite its medicinal importance, the plant is toxic if ingested. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.