Wild Flower ID needed

[Millymollymandy]

I'm posting this on behalf of someone on a Brittany/Normandy forum as we are all stumped as to what this plant/flower is. It was spotted beside a river on the Brittany/Normandy borders. Now I know the leaves and things around are not related to the flowers as they are celandine and cleavers etc. But do you recognise these flower buds?

[Odsox]

Looks like Purple Toothwort .. Lathraea clandestina.
It's a parasite of Alders and Willows.

[Millymollymandy]

Excellent, thanks so much Tony. The adult 'flowers' look like some parasitic plants in have in my garden - nowhere near the stunning looks of the emerging buds (or whatever they would be called).

[malcolmfraser]

Yup - definitely Lathraea clandestina. I've never seen so much of it before!

[southeast-isher]

That's beautiful.