Red Bartsia - Odontites vernus

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Description

Usually under 30 cm tall, hairy and often purplish. Stems are fairly erect and often squarish. Flowers reddish pink 8 to 10 mm long, The lower lip somewhat deflexed, the anthers often protruding.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Meadows, scrub, roadsides, field boundaries and waste places.

When to see it

July to October.

Life History

Annual - often common where found.

UK Status

Fairly frequent throughout Britain.

VC55 Status

Fairly frequent in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 208 of the 617 tetrads.

  • David Gould
    Ratby Meadow, Enderby
    14 September 2014
  • David Nicholls
    Bloody Oaks
    02 July 2015
  • David Nicholls
    Bloody Oaks Quarry
    08 July 2016
  • David Nicholls
    Nature Alive
    07 August 2014
  • David Nicholls
    Bardon Hill
    20 August 2021

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Species data profile ?

Species profile

Common names
Red Bartsia
Species group:
Wildflowers
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Lamiales
Family:
Orobanchaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
223
First record:
01/01/2007 (Harry Ball)
Last record:
04/09/2024 (lemmon, roy)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.

In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.

Latest images

Latest records

  • David Nicholls
    Bloody Oaks
    02 July 2015
  • David Nicholls
    Bloody Oaks
    02 July 2015
  • Graham Calow
    Fosse Meadows, Sharnford
    15 August 2014
  • Graham Calow
    Burbage Common
    31 July 2016
  • David Nicholls
    Bloody Oaks
    02 July 2015
  • AJ Cann
    Great Merrible Wood
    25 July 2015
  • Graham Calow
    Granitethorpe Quarry, Sapcote
    01 August 2007
  • David Nicholls
    Nature Alive
    02 September 2010
  • Graham Calow
    Fosse Meadows, Sharnford
    05 August 2014
  • Graham Calow
    Sapcote
    11 July 2013
  • David Gould
    Osiers Nature Area, Braunstone
    13 September 2014
  • Craig Mabbett
    clump hill field's broughton astley
    01 August 2015
  • Graham Calow
    Field near Leire Playing Field
    20 August 2015
  • David Gould
    Aylestone Meadows, Leicester.
    08 August 2015
  • David Gould
    The Spearwort Fields, Aylestone, Leicester
    22 August 2015