''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
A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is injurious to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or liv ...
.
It is a pest in agricultural fields, infesting crops including
tobacco,
potato, and
tomato.
The plant produces many slender, erect stems from a thick root. The yellowish stems grow 10 to 60 centimeters tall and are coated in glandular hairs. The broomrape is
parasitic on other plants, draining nutrients from their roots, and it lacks
leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
and
chlorophyll
Chlorophyll (also chlorophyl) is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words , ("pale green") and , ("leaf"). Chlorophyll allow plants to a ...
. The
inflorescence bears several flowers, each in a yellowish
calyx
Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to:
Biology
* Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...
of
sepals and with a tubular white and blue to purple
corolla
Corolla may refer to:
*Corolla (botany), the petals of a flower, considered as a unit
*Toyota Corolla, an automobile model name
* Corolla (headgear), an ancient headdress in the form of a circlet or crown
* ''Corolla'' (gastropod), a genus of moll ...
.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
ramosa
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
{{Orobanchaceae-stub