There are a number of folk stories related to its common name, lousewort. It was supposed to breed lice, keep lice away, seeds looked lik...Read Moree lice, the leaves looked like they were filled with lice and if livestock ate it they would become infested with lice. Who knows which or if any of those are true. :)
Wood betony is one of the first spring wildflowers on the prairie, in some cases forming dense colonies, providing a most spectacular display.
Wood Betony, or Lousewort, is a native perennial to my area (SE Ohio) and spreads by short horizontal rhizomes. They are semi-parasitic p...Read Morelants that get some of their nourishment from the roots of other plants. I found a large patch of it growing near a power line clearing in the woods. I dug a few and transplanted them to my flowerbeds where they are doing well. The next year the property was sold and half of the wild patch was destroyed by gravel driveway.
It is called Lousewort because of the belief once held by farmers that cattle and sheep became infested with lice when grazing on the plant.
Look at the flowers from above and get a whole different perspective of the plant.
There are a number of folk stories related to its common name, lousewort. It was supposed to breed lice, keep lice away, seeds looked lik...Read More
Wood Betony, or Lousewort, is a native perennial to my area (SE Ohio) and spreads by short horizontal rhizomes. They are semi-parasitic p...Read More