Desert Broomrape

Orobanche cooperi

"Orobanche cooperi" is a species of broomrape native to the desert regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it is a parasite growing attached to the roots of other plants, usually members of the Asteraceae.
Cooper's broom-rape This plant is a root parasite on desert shrubs including burrobush, brittlebush, and likely creosote, Death Valley NP, California Geotagged,Orobanche cooperi,Spring,United States

Appearance

Although not usually weedy, it has been found infesting agricultural cropland, including tomato fields in inland California. This plant arises from a thick root and a scaly, twisted stem base, and produces a thick, clumpy stem up to 40 centimeters tall. As a parasite taking its nutrients from a host plant, it lacks leaves and chlorophyll. It is dark purple in color and coated with glandular hairs. The inflorescence is an elongated array of several flowers. Each flower is tubular, purple and hairy, and up to about 3 centimeters long.

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Status: Unknown
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Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassEudicots
OrderLamiales
FamilyOrobanchaceae
GenusOrobanche
SpeciesO. cooperi