Foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora)

Foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora): Madonna's thimble, herald's herb, cornucopio, poddiale and zocca zocca are just some of the common names by which it is referred to in various areas of Italy.
A biennial, perennial herbaceous plant that flowers in June. The grandiflora variety reaches its maximum height, around 1.3 meters (3.9 feet), producing large yellow flowers followed by ovoid capsules containing very small seeds. Used in traditional medicine and ethnobotany, this plant contains glycosides, the principal one being digitoxin.
This acts on the heart rhythm by regulating or slowing it, but it is difficult for the body to eliminate it and is highly toxic.
Easy to grow, it tends to hybridize, producing sterile plants, so care must be taken with cultivation distances and with wild flora.


Come! And it was very sweet! very sweet!
so much so that, you see… (the other one is amazed
he lifts his eyes, and sees now, and listens
with a long shiver…) you die!»
G. Pascoli