Lathraea

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Lathraea >

Read about Lathraea in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Lathraea (hidden, Greek, alluding to habitat). Orobanchaeae Toothwort. Root-parasities without green herbage, sometimes sown or encouraged in shrubberies where their host-plants grow. Allied to Orobanche, but the calyx with 4 broad short teeth or lobes rather than with 2 or 4 pointed sepals, and the flowers. not regular: low herbs, brownish, flesh-colored or bluish, bearing many small flowers. in scaly racemes or spikes, the sts. usually simple and erect; stamens 4, in 2 pairs, with 2-celled anthers: caps. 1-celled, opening by 2 valves.—Species 5. Eu., Asia, Japan. In N. Amer., the family is represented by Orobanche (the broom-rape), Conopholis (squaw-root or cancer-root), Epifagus or Leptamnium (beech-drop). Aphyllon or Thalesia, Fig. 231, Vol. 1, by some united with Orobanche, and Boschniakia of the far Northwest. They are scarcely horticultural subjects, although some of the species seem to establish themselves readily when planted where there are proper hosts. Two species are more or less recorded in horticultural literature. L. Clandestina, Linn. (Clandestina rectifora, Lam.), Eu., has very many densely crowded sts. 4-6 in. high, from densely interlaced rhizomes: flowers. pale gray- purple or violet, darker purple on the lower lip, 2 in. long and erect in racemes 3-5 in. high. Grows on willow and poplar, and other hosts. G.C. III. 35:292, 293, showing a group established on roots of beech and willow. A showy species. L. Squamaria, Linn. (Squamaria Orobabche; Scop.), Great Britain to Russian Asia: pale rose-color, with flesh-colored or faintly bluish flowers. which are streaked with purple or dark red: rootstock scaly; fleshy, creeping: flowers. many, nodding, short-stalked or in a dense spike. On roots of hazel. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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