Wild Foxglove

• Plant Type: Bi/Annual plant.
• Common Names: Wild Foxglove.
• Colors: White, Mauve/Lilac
• Flower Dimensions: Each flower is 1.97 inches in length.
• Flowering Season: Summer and autumn.

Ceratotheca triloba is an annual plant that belongs to the family Pedaliaceae. They can grow to a height of 1.5 to 2 meters.

• Wild Foxglove plants can be bushy or single-stemmed. The stems can be red or yellow-green.
• The leaves of the Wild Foxglove are soft and divided into 3 lobes. It measures 50 mm in length. The leaf margins are bluntly serrated.
• The flowers of the Wild Foxglove are in spikes. They occur in pairs up in the stems. Only 2 to 3 flowers on a stem open at a time.
• Each flower of the Wild Foxglove consists of 5 petals.
• Wild Foxglove plants are slightly sticky, and their leaves, stem, and flowers are covered in fine white hairs.

Where can Wild Foxglove be mostly spotted?

Africa

• Ceratotheca triloba^[1] is the only species of the genus Ceratothica that is found in South Africa.
• The genus Ceratotheca is from the Greek word “kerato” and “theke“which means “horned’ and “a case” respectively. The specific epithet triloba is a Latin word that means three-lobed. This describes the leaves of the plant.
• Cerathotheca triloba is traditionally used to treat painful menstruation, stomach cramps, nausea, fever, and diarrhea.
• The scientists isolated and characterized anthraquinone derivatives from the roots, stems, flowers, and leaves of C. triloba. The extracts showed antibacterial and antioxidant properties.
• The leaf and root extracts of Ceratotheca triloba showed anti-cancer activity in vitro. In a study^[2], the root and leaf extracts showed growth inhibition potential on a panel of cancer cells. The scientists stated that the plant is rich in anti-cancer compounds.