Foxglove Digitalis Purpurea (Méaracán Púca as Gaeilge) is one of Ireland’s most beautiful native wildflowers and belongs to the family Plantaginaceae. With tall spires of deep-pink or purple tubular flowers which bloom from June to August, Foxgloves are a magnet for bees and other beneficial pollinating insects and can grow up to 1.5 metres high.
Foxglove thrives on acid soil but can grow on a variety of different soil types and can rapidly colonise recently cleared ground, such as clearfells of coniferous plantations as seen in the photos of this reforestation site near Greystones in Co. Wicklow. This native species can also be found on moors, mountains and sea cliffs.
This plant is very well known as the natural source of medicines for the treatment of heart disease, but serious toxicity occurs with ingestions. Foxgloves are a source of digitalin, a glysoside that increases the speed, force and pace of cardiac contractions, and today it is widely employed in the treatment of various heart conditions.
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