Santalaceae

Bastard toadflax

Comandra umbellata (L.) Nutt.

Family: Santalaceae
Genus: Comandra

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Bastard toadflax (Comandra umbellata) — FlowerPhoto: Tom Pollard, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (1)

English: Bastard toadflax, Bastard-Toadflax

Synonyms

Comandra cuneifolia Raf.
Comandra elliptica Raf.
Comandra media Raf.
Comandra obovata Raf.
Comandra obtusifolia Raf.
Comandra richardsiana Fernald
Comandra umbellata subsp. richardsiana (Fernald) Á.Löve & D.Löve
Comandra umbellata subsp. umbellata
Comandra umbellata var. decumbens E.J.Hill
Comandra umbellata var. lanceolata Nutt.
Comandra umbellata var. umbellata
Comandra umbellulata Raf.
Hamiltonia umbellata Spreng.
Thesium corymbosulum Michx.
Thesium umbellatum L.

Flowers

In flower: May to June (from 1,652 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb, Subshrub
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Alaska: native, Canada: native, Lower 48 states: native

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Tom Pollard, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Abby Hyde, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Carol Ann McCormick, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: aarongunnar, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FruitPhoto: Tom Norton, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Will Bennett, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Dan MacNeal, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Nathan Aaron, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.