Orobanche
Orobanche is a genus of over 200 species of parasitic herbaceous plants in the family Orobanchaceae, mostly native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Some species formerly included in this genus are now referred to the genus Conopholis.
The broomrape plant is small, from 10–60 cm tall depending on species. It is best recognized by its yellow- to straw-coloured stems completely lacking chlorophyll, bearing yellow, white, or blue snapdragon-like flowers. The flower shoots are scaly, with a dense terminal spike of between ten and twenty flowers in most species, although single in O. uniflora. The leaves are merely triangular scales. The seeds are minute, tan-to-brown, and blacken with age. These plants generally flower from late winter to late spring. When they are not flowering, no part of the plants is visible above the surface of the soil.
As they have no chlorophyll, they are totally dependent on other plants for nutrients. Broomrape seeds remain dormant in the soil, often for many years, until stimulated to germinate by certain compounds produced by living plant roots. Broomrape seedlings put out a root-like growth, which attaches to the roots of nearby hosts. Once attached to a host, the broomrape robs its host of water and nutrients.
Some species are only able to parasitise a single plant species, such as ivy broomrape Orobanche hederae, which is restricted to parasitising ivy; these species are often named after the plant they parasitise. Others can infect several genera, such as the lesser broomrape O. minor, which lives on clover and other related Fabaceae.
Branched broomrape, native to central and southwestern Europe but widely naturalised elsewhere, is considered a major threat to crops in some areas. Plants that it parasitizes are tomato, eggplant, potato, cabbage, coleus, bell pepper, sunflower, celery, and beans. In heavily infested areas, branched broomrape can cause total crop failure.
The stems of Orobanche crenata, a species parasitic on the fava bean, are gathered and eaten in the region of Apulia, in southern Italy, where they are given the name of sporchia.
Etymology
The scientific name comes from Ancient Greek + .The common English name comes from the English word broom, and the Latin rapum''.
Selected species
Orobanche aconiti-lycoctoni Moreno Mor. et al.Orobanche aegyptiaca Pers.
Orobanche akiana Honda
Orobanche alba Stephan ex Willd.
Orobanche alexandri Tineo
Orobanche almeriensis A.Pujadas
Orobanche alpigena K.Koch
Orobanche alsatica Kirschl.
Orobanche amethystea Thuill.
Orobanche amoena C.A.Mey.
Orobanche anatolica Boiss. & Reut.
Orobanche androssovii Novopokr.
Orobanche angelicifixa Peteaux & St.-Lag.
Orobanche angustisepala F.W.Schultz
Orobanche angustelaciniata Gilli
Orobanche arbuti Sennen
Orobanche arcuata F.W.Schultz
Orobanche arenaria Borkh.
Orobanche ariana Gontsch.
Orobanche armena Tzvelev
Orobanche artemisiae-campestris Vaucher ex Gaudin
Orobanche astragali
Mouterde
Orobanche auranitica Mouterde
Orobanche australiana F.Muell.
Orobanche austrohispanica M.J.Y.Foley
Orobanche badchysensis Novopokr. & V.V.Nikitin
Orobanche balearica Sennen & Pau
Orobanche ballotae A.Pujadas
Orobanche baumanniorum
Greuter
Orobanche benkertii Rätzel & Uhlich
Orobanche berthelotti Webb & Berthel.
Orobanche boissieri Rchb.f.
Orobanche borbasiana
Beck
Orobanche borealis Turcz.
Orobanche borissovae
Novopokr.
Orobanche brachypoda Novopokr.
Orobanche bracteata Viv.
Orobanche brassicae Novopokr.
Orobanche brevidens Novopokr.
Orobanche breviflora F.W.Schultz
Orobanche bucharica Novopokr.
Orobanche bulbosa Beck
Orobanche bungeana
Beck
Orobanche caerulescens Steph. ex Willd.
Orobanche calendulae
Pomel
Orobanche californica Cham. & Schltdl.
Orobanche camptolepis Boiss. & Reut.
Orobanche canescens
C.Presl
Orobanche carnea Guss.
Orobanche caryophyllacea Sm.
Orobanche cathae Deflers
Orobanche caucasica Beck
Orobanche caudata De Not.
Orobanche cernua Loefl.
Orobanche chassia Formánek
Orobanche chironii Lojac.
Orobanche chrysacanthi
Maire
Orobanche cilicica
Beck
Orobanche cistanchoides Beck
Orobanche clarkei
Hook.f.
Orobanche clausonis Pomel
Orobanche clavata
Schiman-Czeika
Orobanche clementei C.Vicioso
Orobanche coelestis Boiss. & Reut. ex Beck
Orobanche coerulescens Stephan ex Willd.
Orobanche colorata
K.Koch
Orobanche columbiana H.St.John & English
Orobanche comosula Novopokr.
Orobanche compacta Viv.
Orobanche concreta Rouy
Orobanche connata K.Koch
Orobanche consimilis Schiman-Czeika
Orobanche cooperi A.Heller
Orobanche corymbosa Ferris
Orobanche crenata
Forssk.
Orobanche cuprea Boiss. & Balansa ex Boiss.
Orobanche curvata Pomel
Orobanche cypria
Kotschy
Orobanche cyrenaica
Beck
Orobanche cyrnea Jeanm., Habashi & Manen
Orobanche densiflora Salzm. ex Reut.
Orobanche denudata Moris
Orobanche dhofarensis M.J.Y.Foley
Orobanche ducellieri
Maire
Orobanche dugesii Munz
Orobanche ebuli Huter & Rigo
Orobanche elatior Sutton
Orobanche eriophora Bornm. & Gauba
Orobanche esulae
Pančić
Orobanche euglossa Rchb.f.
Orobanche fasciculata Nutt.
Orobanche feddei H.Lév.
Orobanche felicicola Nakai ex Hyun, Y.S.Lim & H.C.Shin
Orobanche flava Mart. ex F.W.Schultz
Orobanche foetida
Poir.
Orobanche fuliginosa Reut. ex Jord.
Orobanche fuscovinosa
Maire
Orobanche gamosepala
Reut.
Orobanche georgii-reuteri
A.Pujadas
Orobanche glabrata
C.A.Mey.
Orobanche glabricaulis
Tzvelev
Orobanche gontscharovii
Novopokr. & Nepli
Orobanche gracilis Sm.
Orobanche grandisepala
F.W.Schultz
Orobanche grayana Beck
Orobanche grigorjevii
Novopokr.
Orobanche grisebachii
Reut.
Orobanche grossheimii
Novopokr.
Orobanche hadroantha
Beck
Orobanche haenseleri
Reut.
Orobanche hederae Duby
Orobanche helianthemi
J.St.-Hil.
Orobanche hellebori Miégev.
Orobanche hermonis
Mouterde
Orobanche hirtiflora
Tzvelev
Orobanche hookeriana
Ball
Orobanche humbertii
Maire
Orobanche hydrocotylei
Colenso
Orobanche hymenocalyx
Reut.
Orobanche hypertomentosa
M.J.Y.Foley
Orobanche iammonensis
A.Pujadas & P.Fraga
Orobanche ianthina
Franch.
Orobanche icterica
Pau
Orobanche insignis
E.D.Clarke
Orobanche insolita
Guim.
Orobanche interrupta
Pers.
Orobanche inulae
Novopokr. & Abramov
Orobanche ionantha
Kern.
Orobanche irtyschensis
Serg.
Orobanche karatavica
Pavlov
Orobanche kashmirica
C.B.Clarke ex Hook.f.
Orobanche kelleri
Novopokr.
Orobanche kotschyi Reut.
Orobanche krylowii
Beck
Orobanche kurdica Boiss. & Hausskn.
Orobanche lactucae
Arv.-Touv.
Orobanche langei
Huter, Porta & Rigo
Orobanche lanuginosa Beck ex Krylov
Orobanche laserpitii-sileris Reut. ex Jord.
Orobanche latisquama
Batt.
Orobanche lavandulacea Rchb.
Orobanche laxissima Uhlich & Rätzel
Orobanche leptantha
Pomel
Orobanche linczevskii
Novopokr.
Orobanche longibracteata
Schiman-Czeika
Orobanche lucana
Terracc.
Orobanche lucorum
A.Braun
Orobanche ludoviciana Nutt.
Orobanche lutea Baumg.
Orobanche lycica
F.W.Schultz
Orobanche mariana A.Pujadas
Orobanche maritima Pugsley
Orobanche megalantha Harry Sm.
Orobanche melitensis
Beck
Orobanche minor Sm.
Orobanche mongolica Beck
Orobanche montserratii A.Pujadas & D.Gómez García
Orobanche mulgedii
Novopokr.
Orobanche multicaulis
Brandegee
Orobanche mupinensis
Hu
Orobanche muteliformis
F.J.Y.Foley
Orobanche myrtilli H.Lév. & É.Labbé
Orobanche nikitinii
Novopokr.
Orobanche nowackiana
Markgr.
Orobanche obtusata
Raf.
Orobanche ombrochares
Hance
Orobanche orientalis
Beck
Orobanche oxyloba Beck
Orobanche ovata
Blakelock
Orobanche ozanonis
Beck
Orobanche pachypoda
Butkov
Orobanche pamim-alaica
Gontsch. & Novopokr.
Orobanche pancicii
Beck
Orobanche paralias
L.Corb.
Orobanche parishii Heckard
Orobanche pedunculata
Vell.
Orobanche pelargonii
Caldesi
Orobanche penduliflora
Gilli
Orobanche perangustata
M.J.Y.Foley
Orobanche petraea
Vell.
Orobanche picridis
F.W.Schultz
Orobanche pinorum Geyer ex Hook.
Orobanche portoilicitana A.Pujadas & M.B.Crespo
Orobanche psila C.B.Clarke ex Hook.f.
Orobanche psilostemon
Novopokr.
Orobanche pubescens d'Urv.
Orobanche pulchra
Gilli
Orobanche purpurea Jacq.
Orobanche pushpitoi
M.R.Almeida
Orobanche pycnostachya
Hance
Orobanche ramosa L.
Orobanche rapum-genistae Thuill.
Orobanche rechingeri Gilli
Orobanche reticulata Wallr.
Orobanche rhaetica Brügger
Orobanche riparia L.T.Collins
Orobanche rosea Tzvelev
Orobanche salviae F.W.Schultz ex Koch
Orobanche sanguinea
C.Presl
Orobanche santolinae Loscos & J.Pardo
Orobanche sarmatica Kotov
Orobanche schelkovnikovii Tzvelev
Orobanche schugnanica Novopokr.
Orobanche schultzii
Mutel
Orobanche schweinfurthii
Beck
Orobanche schwingenschussii Gilli
Orobanche scolymi
Pomel
Orobanche serbica Beck & Petrovič
Orobanche serratocalyx
Beck
Orobanche sideana
Gilli
Orobanche sideritis Porta
Orobanche sinensis Harry Sm.
Orobanche singarensis Beck ex Hand.-Mazz.
Orobanche sintenisii
Beck
Orobanche sogdiana
Novopokr.
Orobanche solenanthi
Novopokr. & Pissjauk.
Orobanche solmsii
C.B.Clarke
Orobanche sordida
C.A.Mey.
Orobanche stans
Noronha
Orobanche stocksii
Boiss.
Orobanche subverticillata
F.W.Schultz
Orobanche tacnaensis
Mattf.
Orobanche tarapacana
Phil.
Orobanche tetuanensis
Ball
Orobanche teucrii Holandre
Orobanche todari Lojac.
Orobanche transcaucasica
Tzvelev
Orobanche trichocalyx Beck
Orobanche trotzkii
Wagn. ex Claus
Orobanche tunetana
Beck
Orobanche uniflora L.
Orobanche uralensis
Beck
Orobanche ussuriensis Novopokr.
Orobanche valida Jeps.
Orobanche vallicola Heckard
Orobanche viridis Hazsl.
Orobanche vitellina
Novopokr.
Orobanche weberbaueri Mattf.
Orobanche wiedemanni Boiss.
Orobanche xanthostachya Novopokr.
Orobanche yunnanensis Hand.-Mazz.