Antirrhinum majus

Antirrhinum majus (common snapdragon; often - especially in horticulture - simply 'snapdragon') is a species of flowering plant belonging to the genus Antirrhinum. The plant was placed in the Plantaginaceae family following a revision of its prior classical family, Scrophulariaceae. The common name 'snapdragon', originates from the flowers' reaction to having their throats squeezed, which causes the 'mouth' of the flower to snap open like a dragon's mouth. It is widely used as an ornamental plant in borders and as a cut flower. It is usually cultivated once a year. The species has been in culture since the 15th century. There are five subspecies: It is an herbaceous perennial plant, growing to 0.5–1 m tall, rarely up to 2 m. The leaves are spirally arranged, broadly lanceolate, 1–7 cm long and 2-2.5 cm broad. The upper glandular stalk is stalk-round, sometimes woody to the middle. The opposite leaves are simple, elliptic or ovate to broad-lanceolate, sometimes linear and usually bleak. Leaflets are missing. The flowers are produced on a tall spike, each flower is 3.5-4.5 cm long, zygomorphic, with two 'lips' closing the corolla tube lobed divided into three parts and is purple red, almost 5 cm long. Wild plants have pink to purple flowers, often with yellow lips. Most 8 to 30 short stalked flowers are in an inflorescence together; the inflorescence axis is glandular hairy. The crown is 25 to 45 (rarely to 70) millimeters long and in different colors (red, pink, orange, yellow, white). The 'maw' of the crown is closed by protuberance of the lower lip, one speaks here of 'masked', and everted baggy at the bottom. There is a circle with four stamens. The plants are pollinated by bumblebees, and the flowers close over the insects when they enter and deposit pollen on their bodies. Calyx is up to 8 mm long, with sepals of equal length, oblong to broad. The ovary is supreme. The fruit Is an ovoid capsule 10–14 mm diameter shaped like a skull, containing numerous small seeds. It is native to the Mediterranean region, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern France, and east to Turkey and Syria. They often grow in crevices and walls. Antirrhinum majus to some extent can survive frost as well as higher temperature, but does best at temperatures around 17–25 °C. Nighttime temperatures around 15–17 °C encourage growth in both the apical meristem and stem of A. majus. The species is able to grow well from seeds, flowering quickly in 3 to 4 months. It is also able to be grown through cutting.