There are three species of yellow false foxglove in Connecticut. They look fairly similar, and it doesn't help that they are sometimes given the same common name. Smooth yellow false foxglove is recognized by a very smooth stem that is often tinted with purple. The lower leaves are cut; the upper leaves are smooth-edged. Downy false foxglove (Aureolaria virginica) has softly hairy leaves and stem. Fern-leaved false foxglove has leaves that are much more deeply cut -- they look lacy or ferny.
All three false foxgloves always grow near oaks, and they are partially parasitic on the oaks.
- Synonyms: Gerardia flava
- Family: broomrape (Orobanchaceae)
- Habitat: wooded rocky ridges
- Height: 2-6 feet
- Flower size: 3/4 inch wide
- Flower color: yellow
- Flowering time: July to September
- Origin: native
False foxgloves have distinctive seed capsules.
Smooth false foxglove leaves. The larger leaf is from the lower part of the stem, and the small, undivided leaf from the upper stem.