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{{Taxobox
| name = ''Antirrhinum''
| image = Snapdragon, small.JPG
| image_width = 250px
| image_caption = Snapdragon
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Lamiales]]
| familia = [[Plantaginaceae]]
| genus = '''''Antirrhinum'''''
| genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision =
''This list is currently incomplete''
:Section ''Antirrhinum''
::''[[Antirrhinum australe]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum barrelieri]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum boissieri]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum braun-blanquetii]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum charidemi]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum graniticum]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum grosii]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum hispanicum]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum latifolium]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum lopesianum]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum majus]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum meonanthum]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum microphyllum]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum molle]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum onubensis]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum pertegasii]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum pulverulentum]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum rupestre]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum sempervirens]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum siculum]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum spurium]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum valentinum]]''
:Section ''Orontium''
::''[[Antirrhinum calycinum]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum orontium]]''
:Section ''Saerorhinum''
::''[[Antirrhinum breviflorum]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum confertiflorum]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum cornutum]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum costatum]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum coulterianum]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum fernandezcasasii]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum filipes]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum kellogii]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum kingii]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum leptaleum]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum multiflorum]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum nuttalianum]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum ovatum]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum subcordatum]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum vexillo-calyculatum]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum virga]]''
::''[[Antirrhinum watsonii]]''
}}

'''''Antirrhinum''''' is a [[genus]] of [[plant]]s more commonly known as '''snapdragons''' from the flowers' fancied resemblance to the face of a [[European dragon|dragon]] that opens and closes its mouth when properly squeezed (thus the 'snap'). The antirrhinums used to be treated as the family [[Scrophulariaceae]], but studies of DNA sequences have led to the inclusion of ''Antirrhinum'' in a vastly enlarged family [[Plantaginaceae]].

== Taxonomy ==
The taxonomy of this genus is disputed at present. At one extreme, [[Integrated Taxonomic Information System|ITIS]] recognises only the [[Old World]] [[species]] of sect. ''Antirrhinum'' in the genus, listing only the [[Garden Snapdragon]] ''A. majus'' (the only species in the section naturalised in [[North America]]). At the other, Thompson (1988) places 36 species in the genus; many modern botanists accept this circumscription. New species also continue to be discovered (see e.g. Romo et al., 1995).

Recent research in the [[molecular systematics]] of this group, and related species, by Oyama and Baum (2004), has confirmed that the genus as described by Thompson is [[monophyly|monophyletic]], provided that one species (''A. cyathiferum'') is removed to a separate genus, and two others (previously listed as ''Mohavea confertiflora'' and ''M. breviflora'') are included. The species list at the right follows these conclusions. It is widely agreed that this broad group should be subdivided into three or four subgroups, but the level at which this should be done, and exactly which species should be grouped together, remain unclear. Some authors continue to follow Thompson in using a large genus ''Antirrhinum'', which is then divided into several sections; others treat Thompson's genus as a tribe or subtribe, and divide it into several genera.

If the broad circumscription is accepted, its sections are as follows:
*Section ''Antirrhinum'': about 20 Old World species of [[perennial plant]]s, the type ''Antirrhinum majus'', mostly native to the western [[Mediterranean]] region with a focus on the [[Iberian Peninsula]].
*Section ''Orontium'': two to six species, also Mediterranean. The species in this section, including the type [[Lesser Snapdragon]] ''A. orontium'', are often treated in the genus ''Misopates''.
*Section ''Saerorhinum'': about 16 [[New World]] species, mostly [[annual plant]]s and mostly native to [[California]], though species are found from [[Oregon]] to [[Baja California Sur]] and as far east as [[Utah]]. Like other authors, Thompson placed ''A. cyathiferum'' in this section, but Oyama and Baum, following earlier authors, suggest that it should be reclassified in genus ''[[Pseudorontium]]'', while ''Mohavea confertiflora'' and ''M. breviflora'' should be included. Some authors classify the species in this section into the genera ''Sairocarpus'', ''Howelliella'' and ''Neogaerrhinum''.

The Garden Snapdragon is an important garden plant; [[cultivar]]s of this species have showy white, crimson, or yellow [[bilabiate]] flowers. It is also important as a [[model organism]] in botanical research, and its [[genome]] has been studied in detail.

While ''Antirrhinum majus'' is the plant that is usually meant if the word "snapdragon" is used on its own, many other species in the genus, and in the family Scrophulariaceae more widely, have common names that include the word "snapdragon".

==Growth==
Snapdragons are [[perennial plants]] often sold as cold-season [[annual plants]] and do best in full or partial sun. They are available in a range of heights: ''dwarf'' (6-8 inches), ''medium'' (15-30 inches) and ''tall'' (30-48 inches). Plant them in a soil that drains well to prevent the roots from rotting.

== External links ==
The Antirrhinum majus genetic and phenotypic database is located at: http://www.antirrhinum.net [http://www.antirrhinum.net]

== References ==
* Oyama, R. K., & Baum, D. A. (2004). [http://www.amjbot.org/cgi/content/full/91/6/918 Phylogenetic relationships of North American ''Antirrhinum'' (Veronicaceae)]. ''American Journal of Botany'' 91: 918-925.
* Romo, A., Stubing, G., & Peris, J. B. (1995). A new species of Antirrhinum (Scrophulariaceae) from North Morocco. ''Annales Botanici Fennici'' 32: 165-168.
* Thompson, D. M. (1988). Systematics of ''Antirrhinum'' (Scrophulariaceae) in the New World. ''Systematic Botany Monographs'' 22.
* D. C. Albach, H. M. Meudt and B. Oxelman - Piecing together the "new" Plantaginaceae; American Journal of Botany. 2005;92:297-315.