Misopates orontium - Lesser Snapdragon - (Scrophulariaceae)

This Mediterranean wildflower is a smaller and much daintier relative of Antirrhinum majus, the much-loved Snapdragon which grows in our gardens in the UK, but which also grows wild in the Mediterranean region.

Misopates orontium

This charming member of the Figwort family (Scrophulariaceae) is common throughout the Iberian Peninsula and can pop up almost anywhere in arable land, on roadsides and even in rocky and sandy ground. The Lesser Snapdragon flowers from March right through until September. The flowers are normally pink, but occasionally white ones also appear.

This specimen was photographed in the Algarve, southern Portugal, in May.