Marsh lousewort

Marsh lousewort is a herbaceous biennial plant, with green and reddish striped leaves and horned red flowers. It blooms in mid- and late summer.

Its name describes the plant well, as it grows particularly well in marshes. Marsh lousewort is also found on beaches and wet meadows. The plant grows in Northern and Central Europe and Russia. In winter, only the bare stem can be seen sticking out of the ground.

The marsh lousewort is semi-parasitic, taking part of the nutrition it needs from the roots of other plants. Its main pollinators are bumble- and honeybees.

The species benefits from the protection of waterfront forests and wetland key biotopes.