Vampire toothwort springs up

This strange plant has no leaves and is named because its pale pink flower looks like a stack of pulled-out teeth. Toothwort is found across the UK, especially central England, but it’s not very common. In March and April it starts to pop up in woods, especially underneath hazel, elm, beech and lime trees. Toothwort is a parasite, which means it lives off other organisms. This vampire-like plant spends most of its time underground in the dark, getting its water and nutrients from the roots of other plants by attaching suckers to them. The flower part of the plant contains tiny seeds that have fatty parts attached to them. These attract ants, which then take them underground into their nests around tree roots.…

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The Week Junior (UK) (Digital) - 1 Issue, 482

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