Wild Forage

Foxglove

Digitalis purpurea

Heart-toxic garden escape. The first-year rosette is often mistaken for plantain or comfrey.

Foxglove: Whole plant — Whole plantPhoto: Steve Young · CC BY · source

Foxglove: Fruit or seed — Fruit or seedPhoto: Acabashi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Foxglove: Flower — FlowerPhoto: marsupium photography · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source

Foxglove: Look-alike side by side. Comfrey (Symphytum officinale), a toxic look-alike — Look-alike side by sideComfrey (Symphytum officinale), a toxic look-alikePhoto: Nathan Cobbett · CC0 · source

Key features

First-year rosette of soft, downy, wrinkled gray-green leaves with scalloped edges
Netted veining, no parallel ribs and no stringy fibers when torn
Second year: 3-5 ft spike of tubular purple, pink or white bells (June)
Often near old homesites and gardens

What it gets mistaken for

ComfreyToxic
Coarse, bristly hairs; not advised as food.
Broadleaf plantainHarmless
5-7 parallel ribs and celery-like strings when torn.
See the card →
MulleinHarmless
Very thick, woolly, silver-gray rosette with no scalloping. Not eaten as a food; leaves and flowers are used for tea, and the seeds are toxic.

Warnings

If eaten, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or 911.

In season

Biennial: rosette in year one, flower spike in year two.

Habitat

Old homesites, roadside edges, gardens, disturbed ground.

Educational reference only. Never eat a wild plant or mushroom based on a website or app. Confirm with an experienced forager, your local extension office, or a mycological club. Poison Control (US): 1-800-222-1222. Call 911 for severe symptoms.