Orobanche uniflora L. Aphyllon uniflorum (L.) Torr. & A. Gray Orobanche porphyrantha G. Beck Orobanche purpurea Jacq. Orobanche sedii (Suksd.) Fech. Orobanche terrae-novae Fernald Orobanche uniflora L. var. minuta (Suksd.) G. Beck Orobanche uniflora L. ssp. occidentalis (Greene) Abrams ex Ferris Orobanche uniflora L. var. occidentalis (Greene) Roy L. Taylor & MacBryde Orobanche uniflora L. var. purpurea (A. Heller) Achey Orobanche uniflora L. var. sedii (Suksd.) Achey Orobanche uniflora L. var. terrae-novae (Fernald) Munz Orobanche uniflora L. var. typica Achey Thalesia uniflora (L.) Britton Naked broomrape, one-flowered cancer-root, cancer-root
This North American native is parasitic, stealing its nutrients from nearby roots. ”Broom” may refer to the broomlike shape of the plant, while “rape” (from Latin rapum) refers to lumps that form on the roots. Orobanche translates roughly to “vetch-strangler,” while uniflora means “single-flower.” Identification: These tiny plants, less than 2" (6 cm) high, are easily overlooked. For one thing, they don’t appear to have leaves. They don’t need them. Instead, they wrap around roots of other plants, taking nutrients directly from them. (There are some “vestigial” leaves, small brown scales along the stem.) Tiny hairy stalks emerge directly from the ground. Each stalk is topped with a single nodding 5-petaled flower, yellowish-white or purple, about 1" (2.5 cm) long. Online References:
Orobanche uniflora at Illinois Wildflowers Orobanche uniflora on CalPhotos Orobanche uniflora on the Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site Orobanche uniflora on Missouriplants.com Orobanche uniflora at the University of Wisconsin's Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium 5/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts 5/21/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts 5/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts 6/10/2016 · Monhegan Island, Maine Orobanche uniflora description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020. © FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved. |
6/10/2016 · Monhegan Island, Maine 5/15/1979 · Virginia · By Tim Chandler 5/21/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts 6/10/2016 · Monhegan Island, Maine 5/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts 6/5/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts 6/5/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts Range:
|