Purple Toothwort

It's another wild flower blip but on my walks I like to note the varieties that I see and the Purple Toothwort (Lathraea clandestine) is fairly rare and unusual.

It's a member of the Broomrape family and a parasite it attaches itself to the roots of trees in order to get energy because it lacks chlorophyll which is the green pigment allowing plants to obtain energy from light. I found several plants growing at the base of willow trees which, with poplars, are the usual hosts. Sometimes it is grown as a garden plant.