# Common Toothwort (*Lathraea squamaria*) Common Toothwort is a special plant that grows in shady forests. It has pretty purple flowers and doesn't have green leaves because it gets its food from tree roots! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Forests ![Common Toothwort](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Lathraea_squamaria_LC0126.jpg&width=800) Photo: Jörg Hempel, CC BY-SA 2.0 de · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lathraea_squamaria_LC0126.jpg) ## Appearance The Common Toothwort is a pale, fleshy plant with thick, purplish-pink stems that emerge from the ground. It lacks green leaves, instead having numerous pale, scale-like structures. Its bell-shaped, purplish-pink flowers cluster around the upper stem, making it look quite unlike typical green plants. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Lamiales - **Family:** Orobanchaceae - **Genus:** Lathraea ## Interesting facts - Even though it looks strange, bumblebees love its sweet nectar in early spring! - It spends most of its life hidden completely underground, only popping up to bloom! - Its name comes from the tooth-like shape of the scales on its stem, not its roots! - This sneaky plant doesn't make its own food; it 'borrows' it from nearby tree roots! ## Special abilities - **Root Siphon:** Common Toothwort can 'drink' nutrients directly from the roots of other trees, allowing it to grow without sunlight. - **Underground Networker:** Common Toothwort has extensive underground rhizomes that help it spread and store energy for many years. - **Early Bird Bloomer:** Common Toothwort emerges and flowers very early in spring before host trees fully leaf out, getting a head start. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 10-25 cm - **Spread:** 5-15 cm - **Flower Size:** 1-1.5 cm - **Bloom Season:** Spring (March-May) - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Parasitizes:** [Hazel](https://www.snappit.app/explore/hazel) (*Corylus avellana*) — Draws nutrients from hazel roots. - **Parasitizes:** [Field Elm](https://www.snappit.app/explore/field-elm) (*Ulmus minor*) — Feeds on the root systems of elm trees. - **Parasitizes:** [Aspen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/aspen) (*Populus tremula*) — Attached to the roots of aspen trees. - **Pollinates:** Buff-tailed Bumblebee (*Bombus terrestris*) — Attracted to its early spring flowers. - **Pollinates:** Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Visits its nectar-rich blossoms. ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight. - [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth. - [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Symbiotic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/symbiotic): Describes a relationship between two different species where they live in close association, often benefiting one or both. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. - [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment. - [Parasitic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/parasitic): This trait describes organisms that live on or in a host organism, obtaining nutrients at the host's expense. - [Endangered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/endangered): Endangered status indicates a species is at a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Don't touch or eat any plants without asking an adult first. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Common Toothwort? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Common Toothwort? 10-25 cm ### How wide does Common Toothwort spread? 5-15 cm ### How big are the flowers on Common Toothwort? 1-1.5 cm ### When does Common Toothwort bloom? Spring (March-May) ### Is Common Toothwort edible? Yes ### Is Common Toothwort toxic? None ### What is Common Toothwort's lifecycle? Perennial ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Common Toothwort: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-toothwort)