Comandra umbellata
bastard toadflax
Overview
Comandra umbellata is a low, rhizomatous perennial of the sandalwood family, reaching 4-16 inches (10-40 cm) tall and spreading by underground stems to form loose colonies. The slender, erect stems carry alternate, oblong to lance-shaped leaves 0.5-1.5 inches (1.3-4 cm) long, pale grayish-green and somewhat fleshy. Small greenish-white to pinkish flowers, each about 0.2 inch (5 mm) across with five petal-like lobes, are grouped in flat-topped terminal clusters in late spring and early summer. The fruit is a dry, rounded drupe 0.2-0.3 inch (5-8 mm) wide that ripens brown. Like other members of its family, it is a root hemiparasite: it photosynthesizes but also taps the roots of neighboring plants for water and minerals through structures called haustoria, drawing on grasses, forbs, and woody species without strict host specificity. It grows in dry prairies, open woods, sand, and rocky barrens across much of North America. It serves as the alternate host for comandra blister rust, a fungal disease of hard pines, which limits its use near pine plantations.
Native Range
Native to North America, ranging across most of Canada and the United States from coast to coast, and south into Mexico. It occupies dry, open habitats including prairies, sand barrens, rocky slopes, and open coniferous and mixed woodland.Suggested Uses
Used in native-plant restorations, prairie and barrens plantings, and naturalized groundcover within its range. Its alternate-host role in comandra blister rust restricts planting near commercial or ornamental hard pines.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height4" - 1'4"
Width/Spread1' - 2'
Colors
Foliage Colors
Bloom Information
Flowers open from late spring into early summer, roughly May to July depending on latitude and elevation. The small greenish-white to pink flowers are clustered at the stem tips and are followed by brown drupes that mature in mid to late summer. Bloom on any one colony lasts about three to four weeks.
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
greenish-white to pinkFoliage Description
grayish-greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 4-10 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight