Bastard Toadflax (Comandra umbellata) 3-pack of pots
Can’t be shipped.
After many years of harvesting, germination experiments, transplanting, and more germination experiments with Bastard Toadflax, we are confident that the plants you buy will transplant well and survive with a normal amount of first-year mulch, watering, and care. When you buy Bastard Toadflax from us, not only are you receiving 3 potted plants, but you are also supporting our efforts to experiment with this and other difficult prairie plants.
Bastard Toadflax (Comandra umbellata) is a rare and important prairie plant. It grows no more than 12 inches high and has white flowers on small stems. It is semi-parasitic and attaches its roots to the roots of a host plant to get nutrients and water. We grow Bastard Toadflax with Blue Grama Grass as a host plant because it is short and won’t overwhelm it. It also spreads underground to create large colonies over time—not a solid ground cover or one that eliminates other plants, but one that weaves itself within the flowers and grasses of the prairie. It is thought that the parasitic nature of Bastard Toadflax helps reduce the vigor of taller, more aggressive prairie species to help rarer and shorter prairie plants thrive in the bottom layer. You can often find Bastard Toadflax growing with other rare prairie species such as Hoary Puccoon, Yellow Star Grass, and Prairie Phlox.
Details
Perennial
Sun: Full Sun, Part Shade
Moisture: Medium, Dry
Height: 6-12 inches
Blooms: May, June, July
Color: White
Spacing: 12-24”
Spreads: A little underground
Zones: 3-8
Benefits: Pollinators
Design Tips
Bastard Toadflax (Comandra umbellata) is a semi-parasitic plant and needs to be planted with a host plant, which is included in each pot. It is very short and grows well with other plants. It spreads slowly underground each year. Plant it with other short companion plants such as Hoary Puccoon, Yellow Star Grass, Prairie Phlox, and Butterfly Milkweed.
Great native plant choice for the Minnesota Lawns to Legumes grant program!
Companion Plants
Hoary Puccoon
Butterfly Milkweed
Prairie Phlox
Yellow Star Grass
Blue Grama Grass
