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ID please - is this Toothwort?
Dovefromabove
Posts: 88,138
in Plants
This photo was taken by a friend living in Correze, France.
He's had Broomrape and Toothwort suggested as possible IDs.
What do you think?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
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Thanks. Maybe he'll have to go back and have another look.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Not toothwort. Toothwort (Lathraea clandestina) is a parasite of willows and blooms are purple and, you guessed it, fang-shaped. They are VERY beautiful, and come up in tight colonies.
I think this might be... if I could remember the name, mumble mumble... parasite of ivy... vaguely orchid like... mumble mumble... will become a kind pinkish puce colour, no leaves of course.... Orobanche hederae?
He has seen the Purple toothwort at the same place
but the toothwort I was thinking of was Lathraea squamaria http://www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/scottish/www/d&g/st3tooth.htm
but my friend says it's even rarer in France than in the UK so he's quite excited
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Ehm, toothwort is purple and fang-claw shaped. You find it on willows and mmmh, alders? in wet soil. Check the pictures:
https://www.google.fr/search?q=lathraea+clandestina&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CCgQsARqFQoTCJ_ZqN-Ij8YCFYZxFAodCYQAow&biw=1536&bih=770
Ah, Dove, you beat me to it. Purple toothwort is rather abundant down here. I love it!
It doesn't look right for Orabanche to me - any that I've seen have more reddish colour than my friend's photo.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
So Edd, do you think it is the Lathraea squamaria?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I don't think so... it lacks "symmetry".
Check on this link:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/debbie.allan1/orobanche_hederae.html
I maybe wrong, but it looks more like the pale version of this!
(also, yes I know about the pitfalls of common names, and it's really my fault here, I didn't realize there wer several kinds of toothwort, silly me!!)
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Ah, Edd, you posted as I was typing - I'll tell my friend - many thanks
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.