Friday, September 9, 2022

Parasitic plants


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.

As they have no chlorophyll, the broomrapes 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.

Orobanche ramosa

Branched broomrape Orobanche ramosa, native to central and southwestern Europe but widely naturalized elsewhere, is considered a major threat to crops in some areas. Plants that it targets are tomatoeggplantpotatocabbagecoleusbell peppersunflowercelery, and beans. In heavily infested areas, branched broomrape can cause total crop failure.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orobanche

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February 31, 1869

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