OROBANCHE PUBESCENS

Family and Genus:- See- OROBANCHACEAE/Sect. OROBANCHE

Common Names:- Hairy broomrape

Homotypic Synonyms:- Orobanche minor ssp. pubescens, Orobanche

versicolor.

Meaning:- Orobanche (Gr) Legume-strangler. (one species is parasitic on

legumes).

Pubescens (L) Maturing, becoming downy-hairy.

General description:- Short to medium, glandular-hairy perennial.

Stems:-

1) 15-50 x 0·4-0·7 cm, variably swollen at base, glandular-pubescent, pale yellow,

often tinged with pink. densely glandular-pubescent and soft-pilose throughout.

Leaves:-

1) Scale-like, oblong, erecto-patent, 10-25 mm long, long-hairy like the stem and

bracts.

Flowers:-

1) Inflorescence, cylindrical, 7-22 x 2-4 cm, rather lax, glandular-pubescent to long,

villous, usually many-flowered.

2) Bracts, 10-20 mm, lanceolate, acuminate, equalling or exceeding the flower.

3) Calyx segments, free or almost so, entire to unequally bidentate, teeth narrow,

often filiform towards apex, ± equalling the corolla tube.

4) Corolla, 10-15(-20) mm, tubular, slightly curved, ± straight in the middle part

yellowish to violet-brown, sometimes uniformly yellowish-white. villous to

arachnoid especially outside on the upper lip.

a) upper lip, usually entire or plicate-emarginate.

b) lower lip, plicate, crenate or denticulate, not or sparsely ciliate, middle lobe

the largest.

5) Stamens, inserted 3-4 mm above the base of the corolla tube, villous in the lower

half.

6) Stigma, lilac, violet or bluish.

Fruit:-

1) Capsule, 8-10 mm.

Key features:-

1) Calyx-segments, free or slightly connate at the base, with linear-lanceolate to

filiform teeth.

2) Corolla, villous to arachnoid, especially outside on upper lip pale yellowish, often

tinged violet or purple.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Dry open shrubby vegetation, olive groves, meadows, gorges. 0-1500 m.

Host:- Parasitic on a wide variety plants including (Crithmum, Cynara, Glebionis,

Hymenocarpos, Melissa, Orlaya, Otanthus, Pseudorlaya, Scandix, Sedum,

Smyrnium, Symphytum and Trifolium)

Distribution:- Throughout Greece. - NW Africa, Italy, Balkans and SW Asia.

Widespread and common on Crete.

Flowering time:- (Mar-)Apr to mid June.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton