Description
A new hemiparasite species for those interested in trying unusual plants. I just couldn’t abstain to collect a few fruits this year. Northern comandra usually grows in moist, partly shaded locations and becomes conspicuous in late summer because of the vivid orange fruits which make a beautiful contrast with the green carpet of moss of other nearby vegetation.
Most often I’ve seen it growing together with Linnaea borealis. Other known hosts are: spruce, pine, birch, willows and alders. At a growing location it probably taps into roots of a few hosts.
The gray-green foliage is also distinct; inflorescences with small flowers are followed by orange fruits (drupes with one large stone) in late summer.
Germination: I think the best option would be to plant the ‘seeds’ in the ground in the vicinity of a potential host: pines, birch, alders, willows species, twinflower, and hope that the haustoria of emerging seedlings will manage to tap into a host roots.