At this time of year, colourful eyebrights (Euphrasia) brighten up many hiking trails in the Alps, but don’t be fooled by these cute little flowers. Eyebrights are little thieves and parasitic plants. They use their roots to steal water and nutrients from neighboring plants.
Semi-parasites
Despite the fact that an eyebright has green leaves – which means that the plant has green photosynthetic pigments and thus is capable of photosynthesis and can rely on itself for nutrients – it still steals water and minerals from other plants surrounding it. That’s why these small colorful plants are called semi-parasites.
Eyebrights aren’t the only semi-parasites that you can find in the Alps, because taking nutrients from neighbouring plants is a common theft. Rattlers (Rhinanthus), cow-wheats (Melampyrum) and louseworts (Pedicularis) are all examples of semi-parasitic plants growing right next to hiking trails in the Alps.
Some examples of semi-parasites species that you can find in the Alps are:
- Common eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis)
- Alpine eyebright (Euphrasia alpina)
- Purple cow-wheat (Melampyrum nemorosum)
- Common cow-wheat (Melampyrum pratense)
- European yellow rattle (Rhinanthus alectorolophus)
- Alpine bartsia (Bartsia alpina)
- Crested lousewort (Pedicularis comosa)
- Beaked lousewort (Pedicularis rostratospicata)
- Verticillate lousewort (Pedicularis verticillata)
- Leafy Lousewort (Pedicularis foliosa)
Real parasites
Broomrapes (Orobanche) even go a step further. They totally lack green photosynthetic pigments and without green leaves nor chlorophyll they are unable to do any photosynthesizing. As a consequence, broomrapes depend completely on stolen nutrients from neighboring plants: they’re real parasites, maintaining a full parasitic lifestyle.
There are many different species of broomrape that you can see while hiking in the Alps – like slender broomrape (Orobanches gracilis) and light-yellow broomrape (Orobanche lutea) – and all of them reap nourishment from the roots of neighboring plants.
Help from a fungus
The birds-nest’s orchid (Neottia nidus-avis) is, just like a broomrape, a non-photosynthetic plant, but this orchid species is not a parasite! So, if it’s not photosynthesizing, nor stealing from its neighbors, how does this plant manage to feed itself? Fungus help the orchid to extract nutrients from the forest floor.
Every plant a story
Semi-parasite, full parasites, help from fungi and many other incredible stories: that’s why I’m so impressed with the flora in our mountains. I would love to share these stories with you on the Tour du Mont Blanc rest day Saussurea Alpine Garden tour. What are you waiting for? Book a trip on the Tour du Mont Blanc, I look forward to meeting you there!
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If you step into the natural world with Simone, her passion for all living things—wild flowers to lichen, birds to mammals—can’t help but rub off on you. She’s excited to meet you on your Tour du Mont Blanc and share the amazing natural wonders in the Alps.
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- Tour du Mont Blanc Hightlight: The Contamines-Montjoie Nature Reserve - May 21, 2020