Common Foxglove vs Small Yellow Foxglove

Digitalis purpurea compared with Digitalis lutea

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Foxglove	Small Yellow Foxglove
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order same	Lamiales (Lamiales)	Lamiales (Lamiales)
Family same	Plantaginaceae	Plantaginaceae
Genus same	Digitalis	Digitalis
Species	Digitalis purpurea	Digitalis lutea

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Foxglove and Small Yellow Foxglove share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Digitalis.

Conservation Status

Common Foxglove

NE — Not Evaluated

Small Yellow Foxglove

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Foxglove	Small Yellow Foxglove
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).

Small Yellow Foxglove

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (10 countries), and North America (Canada, United States).

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 10 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇨🇦 Canada 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇮 Finland 🇭🇺 Hungary 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇹🇼 Taiwan 🇺🇸 United States