Beautiful, toxic, and provides us with a drug called digoxin

Foxglove (Didigtalis purpurea); can reach height of nearly 2m, are either biennial or perennial. The flower spike has many purple bells shaped with speckles of brown/white inside. Bees crawl in to collect nectar, the small seeds are spread by the wind.

The Latin name, Digitalis, refers to the shape of the flowers which can fit over the human finger. The common name may also refer to this as a derivation from 'folks gloves' and nothing to do with foxes.

All parts of the foxglove are poisonous.

The drug digitalis - which contains the active ingredient digoxin which is a steroid glycoside and is used in small doses as a cardiac stimulant - is extracted from foxgloves.