| A slender, often branched 6-24" plant that lacks chlorophyll. The leaves are reduced to small scales on the brownish stems. The 1/2" flowers at the upper end of the raceme are tubular and have 2 lips, the lower lip 3-lobed. Each lobe has a purple to reddish-brown stripe. The 1/5" flowers lower in the raceme are bud-like and the corolla never opens. Only these lower flowers are fertile. Blooms August-October. This parasitic plant draws nourishment from beech tree roots and is found only under these trees. |
