Distribution: Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Rocky Mountains, also from the Great Lakes region east to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, forest edge, meadows, wastelots, and other disturbed partially shaded to sunny areas at low to moderate elevations in the mountains.
Flowers: May-August
Origin: Introduced from Eurasia
Growth Duration: Biennial
Conservation Status: Not of concern
Robust, unbranched biennial, 5-18 dm. tall, puberulent throughout and glandular upward.
Leaves alternate, oblong-ovate, the lower 1.5-5 dm. long including the petiole, and 3-12 cm. wide, with small, rounded teeth; cauline leaves well-developed, reduced upward.
Inflorescence an elongate, terminal, one-sided, leafy-bracteate raceme, the bracts entire and unlike the foliage leaves; pedicels 6-20 mm. long; calyx of 5 distinct sepals, foliaceous, 1-1.8 cm. long; corolla 4-6 cm. long, pink to purple, broadly tubular, the 5 lobes much reduced, the lowest the largest, the lower side paler and spotted; stamens 4; stigmas 2, flattened.
Capsule with numerous, minute seeds.
PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Digitalis purpurea in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database
WA Flora Checklist: Digitalis purpurea checklist entry
OregonFlora: Digitalis purpurea information
E-Flora BC: Digitalis purpurea atlas page
CalPhotos: Digitalis purpurea photos