Pedicularis canadensis

Wood betony’s numerous yellow (less commonly, reddish brown) flowers arise from a spike (raceme) at the apex of the stem; the blooms open in a wave from the base of the spike to its tip. The flowers tend to be twisted clockwise around their long axis by about 30° so that, viewed from above, the flower spike looks like a pinwheel. Individual flowers are 1/2-1″ long, tubular, with a hood-like upper lip that curves down into two small “teeth” or “fangs” at its tip (a distinguishing character of this species) and a paler or white three-lobed lower lip that functions as a landing pad for pollinators. The four stamens are hidden under the upper lip of the corolla; they are of two lengths with light yellow anthers. The single style is also largely hidden under the upper corolla lip, although the tip of the style may protrude; the stigma looks like the head of a common pin. The fruit is a 1/2″ long, angular capsule reminiscent of a shoe tree (as in footwear, not plants) that is initially green, turning brown as it matures.

Wood betony is a native wildflower that is a hemiparasite, i.e., it is partially dependent on the roots of neighboring plants for water and nutrients, typically the roots of asters, grasses, and oak trees. Wood betony is a small plant (6-12″ tall) that initially consists of a dense rosette of basal leaves each up to 6″ long and a third as wide. A stout green or reddish-brown stem 3.5″ long and covered with long, fine white hairs subsequently emerges from the center of the basal rosette. Small leaves with alternate insertions cover the stem; these stem leaves are oblong or lance-shaped with multiple deep pinnate lobes that have rounded, symmetrical teeth and long hairs along the leaf margins.

Wood betony is a native wildflower that is a hemiparasite, i.e., it is partially dependent on the roots of neighboring plants for water and nutrients, typically the roots of asters, grasses, and oak trees. (It establishes tissue connections between its own roots and the roots of neighboring plants.) Wood betony is a small plant (6-12″ tall) that initially consists of a dense rosette of basal leaves each up to 6″ long and a third as wide.