#cymbalaria

[francescointoppa]

Cimbalaria dei muri (Cymbalaria muralis G.Gaertn., B.Mey. & Scherb. (= Linaria c.), (Plantaginaceae)

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Friday 23 May 2025

Though Cymbalaria muralis (ivy-leaved toadflax, climbing sailor, Colisseum ivy, devil's ribbon, ivy weed, Kentucky ivy, Oxford ivy, penny leaf, wandering sailor) is not a native species to the UK, it is now considered naturalised, having been here for several hundred years. The plant is a perennial that thrives in the cracks in old walls and pavements, and in rocky places. The small, snapdragon-like flowers were attracting a painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui).

Jill Raggett

[haveyougrownthisplant]

Have you grown ivy-leaved toadflax/Cymbalaria muralis?

yes

no

never heard of it

Voting ended onFeb 12, 2024

[drhoz]

#1879 - Cymbalaria muralis - Ivy-leaved Toadflax

AKA Coliseum Ivy, Oxford Ivy, Kenilworth Ivy, mother of thousands, pennywort, and wandering sailor. Cymbalaria comes from the Latin word cymbalum,  referring to the similarity of the rounded leaves of some species to the shape of the musical instrument. The word muralis means “of walls”. 

Another plant in Melbourne that was quite content on top of a wall - although in this case it was old brick rather than solid stone. On the other hand, Ivy-leaved Toadflax also grows on rock, and epiphytically, and in shade, and has been introduced to North America and other areas, so it’s clearly a robust viney weed. It was originally native to the Mediterranean region.  

One of its more interesting adaptions is a phototactic response that changes after the flowers are fertilized - the stalks will bend back away from the flight and into shady areas, where the seeds will hopefully find a crevice to germinate in. 

[jardimverdenet]

Flor Cymbalaria 

[crudlynaturephotos]

[stefano-bonalume]

Cymbalaria muralis

[los-plantalones]

fun fact about cymbalaria muralis –

initially, the flowers grow towards the sun, but after being fertilized, they move away from the sun. this means that the seeds end up being very close to the ground or wall that the plants are growing on.... making it much more likely for them to germinate!