It took me awhile to discover the name of the strange plant I found growing in a horse pasture about 10 years ago. The leaves are fern-like but it has a blooming stalk with whorls of small, beaked red and pink flowers. I dug up a small section for my own shade garden, where it has quietly thrived.Eventually I learned that the common name for this quirky plant is lousewort. The old English word for "plant" is "wort," but who in their right mind would name a plant after a nasty insect? Research on the National Native Plant database website (I love the internet) revealed that at one time farmers believed cattle that grazed on this plant became infected with lice.
Another interesting discovery is that louse wort is semi-parasitic, feeding partially on the roots of other plants. In the 10 years I've been growing lousewort, I have never noticed any damage to the plants growing near it so I assume its parasitic habits are very mild. Since it prefers a shady environment, I am guessing its favorite host would be tree roots.
I'm pleased to report that, although lousewort thrives in my garden, I do not have any lice.
