Snapdragon - Antirrhinum majus

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Snapdragons are not native to North America - they are native to the Mediterranean: North Africa and southern Europe, but have naturalized to many other regions.

Depending upon where you live they may completely die off in the winter and have to be replanted each spring. Or in really hot areas they may die off in the summer as it gets really hot. In other areas they will grow as short lived perennials.

They come in many different colors and heights. You can varieties that grow from only 6 inches tall to 2 or 3 feet. And pretty much every color except blue is available.

Snapdragon is a Host Plant for Buckeye butterflies

Buckeye butterflies will use Snapdragons as host plants.

More Snapdragon Pictures

A really close up of a flower:

My favorite colors of snapdragons - almost red and a really bright yellow:

Where to buy

Most local nurseries should sell Snapdragons as plants in the spring and early summer. Seeds available from many different seeds companies in all different colors and heights.

Growing Tips

Seeds are very small, like poppy seeds. New seedlings can be fragile. Sometimes I have good luck starting from seeds, sometimes not.

Current status of this plant in my garden (last updated: 3/09)

I have a patch of snapdragons in the front of our house. Actually they were here when we moved here! I have started more plants however, some from seeds and some as plants I bought at a nursery. I don't deadhead mine because I want them to keep reseeding themselves if possible.

I have seen Buckeye butterfly caterpillars on mine a few times.

Here in the St. Louis area some of mine survive the winter, possibly due to them being planted close to the house and somewhat protected from frost.

The Scrophulariaceae/Figwort Family

This family consists mostly of herbs and some shrubs usually with nice flowers. It includes 190 genera and 4000 species.

Classification

From the U. S. Department of Agriculture:

Kingdom: Plantae - Plants

Subkingdom: Tracheobionta - Vascular plants

Superdivision: Spermatophyta - Seed plants

Division: Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants

Class: Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons

Subclass: Asteridae

Order: Scrophulariales

Family: Scrophulariaceae – Figwort family

Genus: Antirrhinum L. – snapdragon

Species: Antirrhinum majus L. – garden snapdragon

Additional Information

More information about Antirrhinum majus can be found at the Missouri Botanical Garden site and at Wikipedia.