Lathraea squamaria, the common toothwort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae.

The plant consists of a branched whitish underground stem closely covered with thick, fleshy, colourless leaves, which are bent over so as to hide under the surface.

The low, hairy, creamy-pink flowering shoot grow in a one-sided spike to a height of 3 to 9 in (8 to 23 cm).

Externally they immediately reveal their heterotrophic character by their lack of chlorophyll and the reduction of their leaf area.

[2] Common toothwort is widely distributed throughout Europe, its range extending from France and Norway to Russia, Bulgaria, Italy and Greece.