Photographs: Barleycove, Co. Cork

Marsh Lousewort Pedicularis palustris Milseán móna Family: Scrophulariaceae Flowering time: May-September. Annual / biennial. Native. Leafy spikes of deep pink-red 2-lipped flowers, the upper lip 4-toothed, the lower 3-lobed. The inflated calyx is ribbed and hairy with 2 leaf-like lobes. A more/less hairless plant with a branched, erect single stem and alternate, deeply pinnatified leaves. To 60cm. Base-rich to acidic damp ground in heaths, marshes, fens and wet grassland but declining due to habitat loss. Most frequent N, W Ireland Similar: Lousewort, Pedicularis sylvatica. Smaller plant, paler flowers

Marsh Lousewort, Pedicularis palustris, Milseán móna