Spanish Peaks Foxglove

Distribution

"Digitalis thapsi" is an endemic species of the Iberian Peninsula, although it occurs in both Portugal and Spain. It grows in the mountains and rocky plains of the central and central-western parts of the Iberian Peninsula, especially in the Sistema Central and its extensions between the rivers of the Douro and Tagus.

It is widespread in Spain, occurring in the western and central parts of the country. It does not occur on the Balearic Islands. It occurs in the provinces of Ávila, Badajoz, Cáceres, Córdoba, Guadalajara, Madrid, Salamanca, Segovia, Soria, Toledo and Zamora. It has incidentally been found in the province of Burgos. In Andalucía it is only found in the north of the region, in the western Sierra Morena, where it is uncommon; it has been collected more often in the mountains of central Spain.

Some international websites state it occurs in eastern Portugal, more precisely it occurs in Alto Alentejo, Beira Alta, Beira Baixa, Beira Litoral and Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro Provinces. It has occasionally or incidentally been found in Douro Litoral, Minho and the Algarve.

Status

It is not considered rare in a national or international perspective, but it has been classified as locally 'endangered' in the Regional Red List of Andalucía of 2005. The reason for this was that the different collection localities and populations in this region were fragmented and very small.

Habitat

"Digitalis thapsi" grows in acidic soils. It grows on rocky ground and on slopes. It prefers sunny, open and disturbed places. It generally grows on soils derived from granite, but also sometimes on quartzite and schist. It grows at 500-1500 metres in altitude.

In its native lands it flowers from June to July. In cultivation it flowers in late spring to early summer. A study of the fruiting activity in "D. thapsi" showed that production, size and number of seeds were interrelated. Analysis has shown that seed weight is not related to the length of the cotyledon, and that the length of the fifth leaf can serve as a useful factor in determining the genetic variability among specimens.

Cultural

It is known that livestock avoid eating this plant, but an exception are goats, which will eat the leaves and flowers in times of shortage. Nonetheless, the plant is poisonous for them, causing stupor and paralysis -this was apparently once not an uncommon occurrence in Spain, and has spawned a number of idioms.