Lathraea clandestina
27th March 2021
A pretty, spring flowering parasite that grows in damp soils and usually parasitises Poplar or Willow.
I have wanted it in the garden for some decades but never quite got around to planting seeds on any suitable host.
Avon bulbs have offered freshly dug divisions and suggested that they can establish when placed on the roots of a suitable host. I took the chance this spring
and planted a piece on the roots of a Black Poplar. Avon suggest that it may be some years before any growth is seen above ground so it may be some time
before I have any further pictures to offer.