Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Wood betony – an overlooked native
Always a favorite, my Northern Gardener magazine, did not disappoint.
As you know I have a butterfly garden and also a rain garden, I plant “mostly” native plants.
And wouldn’t you know, there’s one I hadn’t scoped out before. Wood betony aka Pedicularis canadensis.
It’s a bit of a parasitic plant with a taproot and lateral roots that attach to the roots of grasses, asters and a few other plants, making it desirable to plant in prairie restorations to deter invasive species.
Wood betony doesn’t NEED those other plants but takes advantage of the opportunity. And get this, it’s roots have a symbiotic relationship with a fungus that helps it gather nutrients.
But Teri, what does it LOOK like? Hardy to zone 3 it grows, on average, to about 10 inches.
It DOES prefer average to dry prairies and open woods, handling part shade too. The yellow flowers are in a thick spike up to 3½ inches long at the top of the stem. The tubular blooms come on in May and June. The foliage is fernlike with the flowers above. The plants grow in clumps.
Wood betony has no serious diseases or insect issues. It’s a great companion to those asters that bloom late in the season and they happen to get along well too! Bees love this native plant!
I would note that there is another plant with the common name “wood betony” whose latin name is Stachys officinalis. I have 3 of them called ‘Hummelo’ in my butterfly garden. They are definitely different.
