Snapdragon family (Scrophulariaceae) Description: This is a
short-lived perennial plant that forms a basal rosette during
its first year, after which it produces one or more flowering
stalks about 1-3½' tall from a thick rootstock. The basal leaves
(2-5" long and 1-3" across) are pale grayish green or bluish
green, ovate to obovate in shape, smooth along their margins,
and glabrous, tapering either gradually or abruptly into
petioles. They have a rather succulent texture. The stems of
flowering plants are whitish green to pale red, terete (circular
in cross-section), glabrous, and somewhat glaucous. The leaves
along these stems are arranged oppositely; they are 2-4" in
length and 1-2½" across. These latter leaves are pale grayish
green to bluish green, ovate to ovate-cordate in shape, smooth
along their margins, and glabrous; their tips are blunt. The
leaves of each lower stem are sessile, while the smaller upper
leaves often clasp the stem. Like the basal leaves, the opposite
leaves have a rather succulent t