Toothwort

Toothwort
Toothwort
Common Toothwort (Lathraea squamaria)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Orobanchaceae
Genus: Lathraea
Species

Lathraea clandestina
Lathraea japonica
Lathraea purpurea
Lathraea rhodopea
Lathraea squamaria

Toothwort (Lathraea) is a small genus of five to seven species of flowering plants, native to temperate Europe and Asia. They are parasitic plants on the roots of other plants, and are completely lacking chlorophyll. They are classified in the family Orobanchaceae. In addition, Cardamine concatenata is also called toothwort.

The tootworth is a protocarnivorous plant. Most of the plant consists of a branched whitish underground stem closely covered with thick fleshy colourless leaves, which are bent over so as to hide the under surface; irregular cavities communicating with the exterior are formed in the thickness of the leaf. On the inner walls of these chambers are stalked hairs, which when stimulated by the touch of an insect send out delicate filaments by means of which the insect is killed and digested.[1][2]

Purple Toothwort (Lathraea clandestina)
Lathraea rhodopea
  • Common Toothwort (Lathraea squamaria) is parasitic on the roots of hazel and alder, occasionally on beech, in shady places such as hedge sides. Lathraea squamaria is widespread in Europe.
  • Purple Toothwort (Lathraea clandestina) grows on the roots of alder, poplar and willow. It differs in the dark purple flowers being produced one on each stem. Purple Toothwort grows in Middle and South Europe: Western Belgium, Western and Central France and Northern Spain, and locally in Central Italy.[3] Elsewhere, especially in England, the plant is locally acclimated in parks and old gardens.
  • Rhodope Toothwort (Lathraea rhodopaea) is common for Rhodope Mountains and Rila.

In Pavel Ivanovich Melnikov's "In the Forests" a Russian wise woman (znakharka) calls this plant Peter's Cross and says it protects against devils but only if collected with a prayer to God.

References

Common Toothwort. Illustration from Thomé, Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz, 1885

Notes

  1. ^ Francis Ernest Lloyd, The Carnivorous Plants, The Chronica Botanica Company, Waltham, Mass., 1942 - ISBN B0000EGY6B
  2. ^ Encyclopaedia Britannica - Thootwort
  3. ^ GRIN. Lathraea clandestina

External links

 Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Toothwort". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Toothwort — Tooth wort , n. (Bot.) A plant whose roots are fancied to resemble teeth, as certain plants of the genus {Lathr[ae]a}, and various species of {Dentaria}. See {Coralwort}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • toothwort — [to͞oth′wʉrt΄] n. 1. any of a genus (Dentaria) of small woodland plants of the crucifer family, having scaly or toothed, pungent rhizomes and white or pinkish flowers in spring 2. any of a genus (Lathraea) of European parasitic plants of the… …   English World dictionary

  • toothwort — /toohth werrt , wawrt /, n. 1. a European plant, Lathraea squamaria, of the broomrape family, having a rootstock covered with toothlike scales. 2. Also called pepperroot. any of several plants belonging to the genus Dentaria, of the mustard… …   Universalium

  • toothwort — crinkle root crinkle root, crinkleroot crinkleroot . a North American herb ({Dentaria diphylla}) with pungent scaly or toothed roots; called also {toothwort}. Syn: pepper root, toothwort, {Cardamine diphylla}, {Dentaria diphylla}. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • toothwort — Coralwort Cor al*wort , n. (Bot.) A cruciferous herb of certain species of {Dentaria}; called also {toothwort}, {tooth violet}, or {pepper root}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • toothwort — kibusis pliumbagis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Pliumbaginių šeimos dekoratyvinis augalas (Plumbago scandens), paplitęs Šiaurės ir Pietų Amerikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Plumbago scandens angl. devil s herb; toothwort šaltinis Valstybinės… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • toothwort — noun Date: 1597 1. a European parasitic plant (Lathraea squamaria) of the broomrape family having pink tinged white flowers and tooth shaped scaly leaves 2. any of several cresses (genus Dentaria) that have usually fleshy scaly rhizomes and are… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • toothwort — noun Any of several species of flowering plants, of the genus Lathraea …   Wiktionary

  • toothwort — noun a plant with a thick rhizome bearing rows of tooth like scales, parasitic on hazel and beech roots. [Lathraea squamaria.] …   English new terms dictionary

  • toothwort — tooth•wort [[t]ˈtuθˌwɜrt, ˌwɔrt[/t]] n. 1) pln any parasitic plant of the genus Lathraea, of the broomrape family, having a rootstock covered with toothlike scales 2) pln any plant of the genus Dentaria, of the mustard family, having toothlike… …   From formal English to slang

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