ABSTRACT
Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, is a beautiful biennial herbaceous plant native throughout central Europe. It is grown widely as an ornamental in temperate climates. The leaves are used as a source of several glycosides, including digitoxin, gitoxin, and gitalin, which act directly on the heart muscle, increasing the output in patients with congestive heart failure. The flowers are borne in erect, showy, usually one-sided spikes, hanging and bell-shaped, 4 to 8 cm long with visible five lobes. Cardenolide concentrations were high at all stages of development in the inflorescence. Large amounts were found in the fully mature flowers. Axillary buds are developed during the fall before and after flowering. Those, when borne on aged plants, need only one season to flower.
