Orobanche uniflora | |
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Orobanche uniflora flowers | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Orobanchaceae |
Genus: | Orobanche |
Species: | O. uniflora |
Binomial name | |
Orobanche uniflora | |
Orobanche uniflora, commonly known as one-flowered broomrape, [1] one-flowered cancer root, [2] ghost pipe [3] or naked broomrape, [4] is an annual [5] [6] parasitic herbaceous plant. It is native to much of North America, where it is a parasitic plant, tapping nutrients from many other species of plants, including those in the families Asteraceae and Saxifragaceae and in the genus Sedum . [5] The name "orobanche" can be translated to "vetch-strangler" and "uniflora" can be translated to "single-flower". [4]
Orobanche uniflora grows to 3–10 centimetres (1+1⁄8–3+7⁄8 in) in height, with one purple-to-white flower with five petals per stem. [5] The corolla is two-lipped, finely fringed with five similar lobes. [7] The main stem is under the ground, with only the pedicels being seen and each pedicel containing only one flower. [6] The stems are grayish tan. No leaves are on the plant or offshoot from it. It reproduces from its seeds, which are produced from fruit that has two sections. Many seeds are produced from the plant's fruit. [8]
The plant is parasitic, feeding off of other plants' root systems, often on the flowering plant genus Sedum which are also known as stonecrops. It does not produce chlorophyll, rather gaining its nutrients, such as carbohydrates, from other plant species. [6] [5] Due to not producing chlorophyll, the plant does not produce any green portions. [6] It is not agreed upon by botanists whether the plant's flowers are pollinated by insects or if they are pollinated by the plant itself. The life expectancy of the species is unknown. [6]
The species closely resembles Orobanche fasciculata . The two can be differentiated by their bracts and number of flowers. The bract looks like a small leaf and is found at the junction of where each flower stalk is attached to the underground stem. O. uniflora's bracts are hairless while O. fasciculata's bracts are hairy. The flowers of O. uniflora have one to three flowers on each stem branch while O. fasciculata has three to ten flowers per stem branch. O. fasciculata has flowers that are pinkish to creamy-white, unlike O. uniflora which is tinged with violet. [6]
The plant can be found in woods, thickets, and mountains as well as by stream banks, [5] [6] and is widespread in much of North America. Unlike other species in the genus Orobanche, Oranbanche uniflora is largely a species that can be commonly found in forests. The species has been found surviving in both the sunlight and shaded areas, as well as in a variety of different types of soil. Its habitat is restricted to places where there are plenty of host plants. It might be difficult for this species to survive in an area where its host plants are sparsely found. [6]
A specimen is contained within the botany department of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History [9] and another specimen has been photographed at Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. [5] It is considered rare or vulnerable in 17 states and five Canadian provinces. The species was identified as being of Special Concern in Minnesota in 1984 and was changed to endangered in 2013. When it was originally listed as a Special Concern in Minnesota, only seven populations were known to exist. [6]
Orobanche, commonly known as broomrape, is a genus of over 200 species of small parasitic herbaceous plants, mostly native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. It is the type genus of the broomrape family Orobanchaceae.
Orobanchaceae, the broomrapes, is a family of mostly parasitic plants of the order Lamiales, with about 90 genera and more than 2000 species. Many of these genera were formerly included in the family Scrophulariaceae sensu lato. With its new circumscription, Orobanchaceae forms a distinct, monophyletic family. From a phylogenetic perspective, it is defined as the largest crown clade containing Orobanche major and relatives, but neither Paulownia tomentosa nor Phryma leptostachya nor Mazus japonicus.
Monotropa uniflora, also known as ghost plant, ghost pipe, or Indian pipe, is an herbaceous perennial plant native to temperate regions of Asia, North America, and northern South America, but with large gaps between areas. The plant is sometimes completely waxy white, but often has black flecks or pale pink coloration. Rare variants may have a deep red color. The name "Monotropa" is Greek for "one turn" and "uniflora" is Latin for "one flowered" as there is one sharply curved stem for each single flower.
Eryngium yuccifolium, known as rattlesnake master, button eryngo, and button snake-root, is a perennial herb of the parsley family native to the tallgrass prairies of central and eastern North America. It grows from Minnesota east to Ohio and south to Texas and Florida, including a few spots in Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware.
A parasitic plant is a plant that derives some or all of its nutritional requirements from another living plant. They make up about 1% of angiosperms and are found in almost every biome. All parasitic plants develop a specialized organ called the haustorium, which penetrates the host plant, connecting them to the host vasculature – either the xylem, phloem, or both. For example, plants like Striga or Rhinanthus connect only to the xylem, via xylem bridges (xylem-feeding). Alternately, plants like Cuscuta and some members of Orobanche connect to both the xylem and phloem of the host. This provides them with the ability to extract resources from the host. These resources can include water, nitrogen, carbon and/or sugars Parasitic plants are classified depending on the location where the parasitic plant latches onto the host, the amount of nutrients it requires, and their photosynthetic capability. Some parasitic plants can locate their host plants by detecting volatile chemicals in the air or soil given off by host shoots or roots, respectively. About 4,500 species of parasitic plants in approximately 20 families of flowering plants are known.
Orobanche aegyptiaca, the Egyptian broomrape, is a plant which is an obligate holoparasite from the family Orobanchaceae with a complex lifecycle. This parasite is most common in the Middle East and has a wide host range including many economically important crops.
Orobanche minor, the hellroot, common broomrape, lesser broomrape, small broomrape or clover broomrape, is a holoparasitic flowering plant belonging to the family Orobanchaceae. It is one of about 150 non-photosynthetic plants in the genus Orobanche that parasitize autotrophic plants.
Orobanche bulbosa is a species of plant known by the common name chaparral broomrape.
Orobanche californica, known by the common name California broomrape, is a species of broomrape. It is a parasitic plant growing attached to the roots of other plants, usually members of the Asteraceae.
Orobanche cooperi is a species of broomrape known by the common name Cooper's broomrapedesert broomrape, spike broomrape, and burroweed strangler. It is native to the desert regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it is a parasite growing attached to the roots of other plants, usually members of the Asteraceae, such as Artemisia, Hymenoclea, Ambrosia and Encelia. Although not usually weedy, it has been found infesting agricultural cropland, including tomato fields in inland California. This plant arises from a thick root and a scaly, twisted stem base, and produces a thick, clumpy stem up to 40 centimeters tall. As a parasite taking its nutrients from a host plant, it lacks leaves and chlorophyll. It is dark purple in color and coated with glandular hairs. The inflorescence is an elongated array of several flowers. Each flower is tubular, purple and hairy, and up to about 3 centimeters long.
Orobanche corymbosa is a species of broomrape known by the common name flat-top broomrape. It is native to western North America where it is a parasite growing attached to the roots of other plants, usually sagebrush. It produces a cluster of thick, glandular stems with enlarged bases and stout roots, the hairy stems pale whitish or yellowish, often purple-tinged, and up to 17 centimetres (6.7 in) tall. As a parasite taking its nutrients from a host plant, it lacks leaves and chlorophyll. The inflorescence is a wide array of a few tubular flowers. Each is 2 centimetres (0.79 in) or 3 centimetres (1.2 in) long, coated in glandular hairs, and dark-veined pink or purple in color.
Orobanche fasciculata is a species of broomrape known by the common name clustered broomrape. It is native to much of western and central North America from Alaska to northern Mexico to the Great Lakes region, where it grows in many types of habitat. It is a parasite growing attached to the roots of other plants, usually members of the Asteraceae such as Artemisia; and other genera such as Eriodictyon and Eriogonum. This plant produces one or more stems from a bulbous root, growing erect to a maximum of about 20 centimeters in height. The stems, leaves and five-lobed flowers are covered by sticky hairs. As a parasite taking its nutrients from a host plant, it lacks chlorophyll as well as a water-storage system. It is variable in color, often yellowish or purple. The inflorescence is a raceme of up to 20 flowers, each on a pedicel up to 15 centimetres long. Each flower has a calyx of hairy triangular sepals and a tubular corolla 1.5–3 cm long. The flower is yellowish or purplish in color.
Orobanche parishii is a species of broomrape known by the common names Parish's broomrape and short-lobed broomrape. It is native to the coast and mountains of California and Baja California, where it is a parasite growing attached to the roots of other plants, usually shrubs of the Asteraceae, such as Menzies' goldenbush. This plant produces usually one thick, hairy, glandular, pale yellowish stem up to about 26 centimetres (10 in) tall. As a parasite taking its nutrients from a host plant, it lacks leaves and chlorophyll. The inflorescence is a dense cluster of flowers accompanied by dark-veined oval bracts. Each flower has a calyx of triangular sepals and a tubular corolla roughly 2 centimetres (0.8 in) long, pale brownish or pinkish in color with red veining.
Orobanche pinorum is a species of broomrape known by the common name conifer broomrape. It is native to the forests of western North America, where it is a parasite growing attached to the roots of other plants, usually Holodiscus species. This plant has an erect stem with a wide, thickened base and slender top growing 10–30 centimetres (3.9–11.8 in) tall. As a parasite taking its nutrients from a host plant, it lacks leaves and chlorophyll and is brownish or yellowish in color. The inflorescence is a dense, spreading array of purple-tinged yellowish flowers 1–2 centimetres (0.39–0.79 in) long.
Orobanche ramosa is a species of broomrape known by the common names hemp broomrape and branched broomrape. It is native to Eurasia and North Africa, but it is known in many other places as an introduced species and sometimes a noxious weed.
Orobanche vallicola is a species of broomrape known by the common name hillside broomrape.
Orobanche rapum-genistae, the greater broomrape, is a plant species in the genus Orobanche. It is a parasitic plant, native to Europe, growing on the roots of plants in the bean family, usually common broom or European gorse.
Orobanche ludoviciana, the Louisiana broomrape or prairie broom-rape, is a species of plant in the family Orobanchaceae. It was first described and named by Thomas Nuttall in 1818.
Orobanche hederae, the ivy broomrape, is, like other members of the genus Orobanche, a parasitic plant without chlorophyll, and thus totally dependent on its host, which is ivy. It grows to 60 cm (2 ft), with stems in shades of brown and purple, sometimes yellow. The flowers are 10–22 mm (0.4–0.9 in) long, cream in colour with reddish-purple veins.