While the 'foxglove' conjures up a delightful image when interepted literally, it is unlikely the plant got its name from the belief that its bell-shaped flowers would make suitable gloves for foxes. Far more likely is the theory that the name comes from a series of corruptions in both the spelling and the pronunciation of old words. For example, glove may be derived from the Anglo-Saxon gliew- a musical instrument with many small bells - and fox could be a corruption of "folk's" meaning "little folk" or "fairies". This theory is supported by the fact that in some parts of the British Isles such as Somerset and in Ireland, the plant is called "fairy bell".

Exploding the popular myth about the name, however, does not make the foxglove any less attractive. It is a stately plant, tall and upright with purple flowers hanging from a single unbranched stem. There may be 20 - 80 flowers on a single stem.

Foxgloves are very poisonous, yet it yields the drug digitalis which is used in small doses in the treatment of heart complaints.

This use was first discovered in 1785 by the clinical investigator William Withering, though the way in which the drug acts at stimulating the heart was not understood at the time.

Extract from the Reader's Digest Field Guide to Wild Flowers