How to Grow and Care for Odontites

The red bartsia is a common plant often found in areas of disturbed ground, including railway cuttings and roadsides. It is parasitic, gaining some of its nutrients from the roots of other plants. The "Red bartsia bee" is a solitary species of bee that feeds only on these plants. A subspecies is the spp. serotinus.

This half-parasitic (hemiparasitic) annual herbaceous Odontites vulgaris reaches heights of 20 to 60 cm and is covered in whitish hairs. The stem is upright, symmetrically branched, and slightly square. The opposite, sessile leaves are lanceolate, 1.02 to 4.5 cm in length, 2.5 to 10 mm in width, and have a few rough teeth.

Odontites luteus is a vibrant yellow flowering plant with slender, upright stems and lance-shaped leaves. It typically thrives in well-lit, open environments such as grasslands. The striking blooms, clustered along the stem's apex, are its signature trait, making it easily distinguishable in its native habitat. Adaptive to its surroundings, odontites luteus often benefits from disturbances that clear space for its growth.