SPECIES DESCRIPTION
OROBANCHE AMETHYSTEA
Family and Genus:- See- OROBANCHACEAE/Sect. OROBANCHE/O. MINOR
Common Names:- None
Homotypic Synonyms:- None
Meaning:- Orobanche (Gr) Legume-strangler. (one species is parasitic on
legumes).
Amethystea (Gr) The colour of amethyst gems; violet.
General description:- Very variable, short to medium, glandular-hairy to downy
perennial, tinged with yellow, brown or purple.
Stems:-
1) 15-30(-40) cm tall, 4-8 mm thick, not swollen at the base.
Leaves:-
1) 15-25(-30) mm, narrowly oblong-lanceolate.
Flowers:-
1) Inflorescence, 6-15 x 3-4 cm, many-flowered, rather lax at least below
2) Bracts, 12-20 mm, dark purplish, gradually attenuate from an ovate base to a
filiform apex, equalling or exceeding the flowers.
3) Calyx segments, 12-15 mm, dark purplish, usually bifid, glandular-shaggily hairy.
4) Corolla, 7-25 mm, whitish with purple veins, usually bent 1/3 from the base.
a) upper lip, emarginate to shallowly toothed.
b) lower lip, lobes crenate, glabrous at the margin.
5) Stamens, inserted 5-6 mm above the base of the corolla tube, pubescent to
hirsute in the lower 1/3.
6) Stigma, purplish to flesh-coloured, rarely yellow.
Key features:-
1) Leaves, linear-lanceolate to -oblong
2) Corolla, white or cream, usually tinged with violet, pink or brown.
3) Stigma, red or purple.
4) Calyx-segments, 3- to 4-veined, not filiform distally.
5) Bracts, 10-22 mm;
6) Stamens, inserted 3-5 mm above the base of the corolla
6) Corolla, rather sharply inflected near the base, the upper lip deeply bifid.
Habitat:- Coastal habitats, dry pastures, open woodland. 0-800(-1100) m. Usually
parasitic on species of, Daucus, Eryngium and Ballota.
Distribution:- Scattered throughout Greece and central Europe. Very rare on Crete,
previously known only from two locations.
Flowering time:- May-July.
Photos by:- Steve Lenton