Misopates orontium (L.) Raf., Weasel's-snout

Account Summary

Growth form, status and preferred habitats

A variable, erect, 8-60 cm tall, bright pink flowered, summer annual that germinates in May or June, M. orontium (previously known as Antirrhinum orontium L.) is covered with short sticky glandular hairs, at least in its upper half, and develops a tap-root and fibrous side-roots. The plant is simple or branched, sometimes right from the base, and leafy, the leaves opposite below, alternate above. The leaves are linear or narrowly elliptical, the blade 30-70 × 1.5-5.0 mm, obtuse at apex. The leaf margin is entire and recurved, the midrib and fine veins prominent below (Garrard & Streeter 1983; Sell & Murrell 2007).

M. orontium featured on the list of 41 species previously assumed to be native in Britain which Webb (1985) considered more probably introduced by man and their status requiring further study. The editors of the New Atlas subsequently agreed with Webb's assessment and it is now regarded as an archaeophyte, an ancient introduction, very probably of Mediterranean origin (Hultén & Fries 1986).

A weedy plant of arable fields on light, sandy, well-drained soils, M. orontium also frequents roadsides and waste ground (Garrard & Streeter 1983).

The species has declined sharply as an agricultural weed throughout Britain during the last 50 years or so and it has almost, but not quite, disappeared from Ireland altogether where it has always been casual.

Flowering reproduction

The plant flowers from July to October, producing a terminal raceme inflorescence of subsessile, solitary, bisexual flowers in the axils of bracts similar to the leaves but smaller, exceeding the flowers. The flower pedicels are 2-3 mm long, sepals narrow-ovate to linear, 10-17 mm long. The tubular corolla, 10-14 mm long along the upper side, equalling or shorter than the calyx, reddish pink or rarely white, is two-lipped and broadly saccate or pouched at the base. The mouth of the corolla tube is tightly closed by the palate swelling on the 3-lobed lower lip. Nectar is secreted by a swelling at the base of the ovary and the flower is pollinated by bees or self-pollinates (Hutchinson 1972; Garrard & Streeter 1983; Sell & Murrell 2007).

The fruit is an obliquely ovoid-ellipsoid capsule, 9-10 mm long, thin-walled, dark brown, covered by a mixture of short and long glandular hairs. It opens at the apex by two or three small pores per cell to release the numerous small black seeds (Butcher 1961).

The seeds, 0.9-1.1 mm long, are somewhat flattened, with one face smooth, keeled and produced into a narrow wing: the other face is finely tuberculate or pitted and it has a wide, raised, sinuate border (Sell & Murrell 2007).

The average number of seeds per plant is around 124, although the plants vary greatly in size and in the number of fruits they produce. Salisbury (1964) found that individuals producing but a single capsule were frequent, but a large plant could produce as many as 76. In his study, the average for over 200 specimens was twelve capsules and the mean reproductive capacity of the plants was calculated to lie between 800 and 1,200 seeds. Seeds remain dormant overwinter and germinate in late spring (May or June). A wet spring can prevent germination and seriously affect local survival of the species since it does not appear to be long-persistent (Salisbury 1964).

Fermanagh occurrence

A single Fermanagh record exists for this alien casual species. In this instance, it was almost certainly accidentally introduced with recently sown garden lawn seed.

Irish occurrence

Previously, M. oronticum was a rare, casual weed of arable agriculture in five Irish VCs in the S & SE of the island (Cen Cat Fl Ir 2). It is now established only in Co Cork (H3-H5), but even there it is regarded as rare and declining. Elsewhere in SW Ireland, it is a rare, or an extremely rare casual (An Irish Flora 1996).

British occurrence

In the past, Weasel's-snout was most frequent on the sandy or gravelly soils of East Anglia, Surrey (VC 17), Hampshire (VC 11), Dorset (VC 9), SW England and SW Wales. Although it may remain locally frequent in these areas, it has declined sharply over the last 50 years, very probably as the result of widespread use of broad spectrum herbicides to which it is susceptible, the advent of stubble burning and the autumn sowing of crops such as winter wheat and oil seed rape (Garrard & Streeter 1983; A. Horsfall, in: Preston et al. 2002). It survives mainly in the far south of England and in coastal areas of Wales, having become rare, scattered and casual, if not actually extinct, elsewhere.

European and world occurrence

This variable species probably originated in the Mediterranean region where it is very abundant. It is a prevalent weed throughout Europe and SE Asia, extending eastwards to the Himalaya. It also occurs in Madeira and the Canary Isles. M. oronticum has also been spread with agriculture as a crop seed contaminant to many parts of the world, including C & S Africa, N America (not very widespread), Australia and New Zealand (Hultén & Fries 1986, Map 1633).

Names

The derivation or origin of the genus name 'Misopates' is a tricky question that all books that the current author (RSF) has consulted on plant names appear to avoid. Looking for Greek word elements for 'miso-' there is a choice between 'miskos', 'a stem', or 'misein', 'to hate', ie antagonistic to something. For '-pates' there is the Greek 'pathos', 'suffering' or 'feeling', Greek 'patos', 'bottom', or 'path', or Greek 'pater', 'father'. In the opinion of the current author, none of these make much sense when combined, nor do they convey any information regarding the plant in question. The Latin specific epithet 'orontium' is a bit easier, since there is a river of that name in Syria that gave its name to a genus of plant from the area, which is mentioned in Galen (Gilbert-Carter 1964; Gledhill 1985).

English common names include 'Weasel's snout' and 'Calf's snout' or 'Calves' snout', referring to the elongated blunt shape of the somewhat hairy fruit capsule. Other names are 'Corn Snapdragon' and 'Lesser Snapdragon', referring to the quite obviously similar flower shape to Antirrhinum majus (Snapdragon) and the weedy nature of the plant.

Threats

None, since the species is not persistent.

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