In message , Chris Potts
writes
Muddymike wrote:
Inspired by the wonderful comments on my garden pictures I have
uploaded a few more. Some showing the overgrown mess we took on two
and a half years ago.
Further to the Ivy Broomrape, I have discovered a virtual forest of
the stuff, see first picture at
http://www.twango.com/channel/Muddymike.Garden
Must mow the lawns.
Mike
Hello Mike

I don't think it is Ivy Broomrape! It is Common Toothwort (Lathraea
squamaria). Ivy Broomrape is taller with a much more open spike; it
flowers in late June/July. There is a good picture of Toothwort at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toothwort. It flowers in April, so just
right.

All the best,

Chris Potts

I hadn't considered Lathraea, as the plant didn't look at all like
lLathraea clandestina. However, Lathraea squamata is typically parasitic
on elm and hazel, rather than ivy. However it seems to occur on many
genera.

According to Stace, the key characters separating Lathraea and Orobanche
are

Lathraea: rhizomatous; flowers pedicellate (stalked); calyx with 4 equal
lobes;

Orobanche: not rhizomatous; flowers seesile (unstalked) except rarely
near the base of the inflorescence; calyx with 2-4(5) teeth arranged in
2 lateral lips.

Looking at the original photograph the calyx characters may be correct
for Lathraea. If Mike could check the details, and what plants other
than ivy are growing in the vicinity ...
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley