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The Ivy Leaved Toad Flax, thanks to Alembisque for identifying the plant.

Ivy-leaved Toadflax (Mill.) (Linaria Cymbalaria).
This little trailing plant, with ivylike leaves and small lilac flowers, is a native of the Mediterranean region, but it has become naturalized over almost many parts of the world.

It is mostly found near houses, on old garden walls, where it hangs down from the interstices between the stones, the roots being thin and fibrous, and finding their way into crevices The stems are purple in colour and very numerous, slender and stringy, rooting at intervals and very long, growing to a length of 2 or 3 feet.

---Description---
The ivy-like leaves, some what thick in texture, and smooth, are cutup into five prominent, rounded lobes or divisions, and are on long stalks. The backs of the leaves are of a reddish-purple. The flower-stalks, about equal in length to the leaf-stalks, arise singly from the axils of the leaves and bear small flowers similar in form to those of the common Toadflax, of a delicate lilac colour, the palate being bright yellow and each blossom ending in a spur, which in this case is only as long as the calyx. Before fertilization each flower pushes itself out into the light and sun, standing erect, but when the seeds are mature, it bends downward, buries the capsule in the dark crannies between the stones on which it grows, the seeds being thus dispersed by direct action of the plant itself.

This little Toadflax is in flower from November right up to May (in Australia), and is polinated only by bees. It has become a favourite garden flower for planting on rockeries.

Gerard illustrates the plant in his Herbal, springing from brickwork, but the block of his illustration was incorrectly placed upside down, so that the plant instead of being represented as growing downwards, stands erect. Parkinson, in 1640, also figures this plant in the same way, and names it Cymbalaria hederacea.

In Italy it is the 'plant of the Madonna.'

---Medicinal Action and Uses---
The Ivy-leaved Toadflax has anti-scorbutic properties, and has been eaten as a salad in southern Europe, being acrid and pungent like Cress.

It is reported to have been successfully administered in India for diabetes.

The slightly bitter leaves are often included in salads.

The flowers yield a clear but not permanent yellow dye.

---Other Names---
Aarons beard, climbing sailor, creeping jenny, ivywort, Kenilworth ivy, mother of millions, mother of thousands, nanny goats mouth, Oxford weed, pedlars basket, penywort, rabbit, roving jenny, roving sailor, the herb of Madonna (Erba belle Madonna), thousand flower, wandering Jew

Easy to make in the slow cooker, this can be frozen for a fantastic dinner in the future. The recipe is here.

A beautiful, healthy dish made from sprouted whole masoor dal (red lentils) and spices. The recipe is here.