''Digitalis ciliata'', commonly called Hairy Foxglove is a member of the genus ''

Digitalis ''Digitalis'' ( or ) is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennial plants, shrubs, and biennials, commonly called foxgloves. ''Digitalis'' is native to Europe, western Asia, and northwestern Africa. The flowers are tubular in sh ...

''. It has thimble-shaped, yellow to cream colored flowers produced on perennial plants with evergreen foliage. It is native to the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

and is grown as an ornamental in other parts of the world. The species name is derived from the fine hairs that cover the plants stems and flowers.

Description

Individuals of these species are

herbs In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicina ...

that grow from anywhere between 30 cm and 60 cm tall. They have an alternate leaf pattern with small green

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regula ...

leaveshttp://www.rareplants.de. 2012. ''Digitalis ciliata'' (Yellow Caucasus Foxglove). Web 30 April 2012. http://www.rareplants.de/shop/product.asp?P_ID=11983 that are known for both their medicinal purposes and high toxicity when ingested. The flowers are located at the terminal ends of the stems, and are arranged in a

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...

pattern known as a '

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the sh ...

Flowers and fruit

The flowers of ''Digitalis ciliata'' are a distinguishing feature that gave the entire genus its name, as it has a campanulate structure that also resembles a thimble and fits on the tip of the finger. The

perianth The perianth (perigonium, perigon or perigone in monocots) is the non-reproductive part of the flower, and structure that forms an envelope surrounding the sexual organs, consisting of the calyx (sepals) and the corolla (petals) or tepals when ca ...

has five parts and the color of the

corolla Corolla may refer to: *Corolla (botany), the petals of a flower, considered as a unit *Toyota Corolla, an automobile model name * Corolla (headgear), an ancient headdress in the form of a circlet or crown * ''Corolla'' (gastropod), a genus of moll ...

is a pale-yellow. The

species epithet Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany) A botanical name ...

, ''ciliata'', is indicative of the tiny “hairs” that are apparent on the upper and lower lips of the corolla. There are also tiny hairs that cover the leaves of the plant. The fruit is a capsule.

Distribution

''Digitalis ciliata'' is native to the

area.

Ecology

''Digitalis ciliata'' can be found in meadows, pastures, in the margins of forests, and also on slopes, as it is indigenous to mountainous terrain.

Uses

Horticulture

It can also be grown throughout the world where there is warm enough weather and well-drained yet moist soil. It can be grown as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

in both Europe and North America.

Medicinal

''Digitalis ciliata'' is used to isolate cardenolide glycolosides and is abundant in basically all of the

glycoside In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycoside ...

s that the ''

'' genus is known for. These common glycosides include

digitoxigenin Digitoxigenin, a cardenolide, is the aglycone of digitoxin. Digitoxigenin can be used to prepare actodigin. In Lednicer's book on steroids, it is made from deoxycholic acid Deoxycholic acid is a bile acid. Deoxycholic acid is one of the s ...

, gitoxigenin, digoxigenin, gitaloxigenin, and diginatigenin. The seeds of ''D. ciliata'' are rich in the steroid glycoside digitonin, along with other lipids that are important in cardiac treatments.Kemertelidze, E. 2007. Biologically Active Compounds and original remedies from plants growing in Georgia. pp. 91-93. http://www.science.org.ge/2007-vol1/91-95.pdf Not only is ''D. ciliata'' useful in the cardiac sector of medicine, but its anti-proliferative roles are also being looked into for its possible role in suppressing tumors. There may be evidence that the

saponin Saponins (Latin "sapon", soap + "-in", one of), also selectively referred to as triterpene glycosides, are bitter-tasting usually toxic plant-derived organic chemicals that have a foamy quality when agitated in water. They are widely distributed ...

s found in this species have an anti-tumor effect by aiding in cell cycle arrest and cell death, or apoptosis.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4312974 ciliata