Wood Betony flowers come in whorls of yellow, burgundy, cream, and a combination of these colors (see photos)!
This plant has a secret too! It’s a hemiparasite. Hemiparasites rely on surrounding species for some of their energy. Their roots form little structures called haustoria that attach to the roots of other plants and they “steal” the energy from that plant. Hemiparasitic plants often use grasses and sedges to parasitize but some are generalists that can use any plant. Because the hemiparasite is using some of the resources of the other plants, those plants tend to be shorter than they would otherwise be.
Wood betony has ferny-looking leaves that are long and mostly basal. When the leaves first emerge in the spring, they are usually purple. The flower stalks grow to 8-12 inches high.
Wood betony grows in prairies, but also in open woods and part shade. It can be found in dry woods, but also rich woods.
I have grown wood betony with yellow pimpernel in the past with good results. I chose the yellow pimpernel because I found these two species growing on the same hill. Your pot will have at least one plant of each species. When you put them in the ground, try not to disturb the roots too much
Please see the listing for yellow pimpernel for more information about that plant.
Michigan Flora reference page for state distribution: Wood Betony
Height: 6-12”
Bloom time: May-June
Soil: loam, sand, medium-dry
Sun: full to part sun
Plant spacing: 6-12”
Flower: burgundy, yellow
Life cycle: perennial, hemiparasitic
Family:Scrophularaceae
Michigan native: yes
Seed source: Michigan
Sizes:
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Wood Betony flowers come in whorls of yellow, burgundy, cream, and a combination of these colors (see photos)!
This plant has a secret too! It’s a hemiparasite. Hemiparasites rely on surrounding species for some of their energy. Their roots form little structures called haustoria that attach to the roots of other plants and they “steal” the energy from that plant. Hemiparasitic plants often use grasses and sedges to parasitize but some are generalists that can use any plant. Because the hemiparasite is using some of the resources of the other plants, those plants tend to be shorter than they would otherwise be.
Wood betony has ferny-looking leaves that are long and mostly basal. When the leaves first emerge in the spring, they are usually purple. The flower stalks grow to 8-12 inches high.
Wood betony grows in prairies, but also in open woods and part shade. It can be found in dry woods, but also rich woods.
I have grown wood betony with yellow pimpernel in the past with good results. I chose the yellow pimpernel because I found these two species growing on the same hill. Your pot will have at least one plant of each species. When you put them in the ground, try not to disturb the roots too much
Please see the listing for yellow pimpernel for more information about that plant.
