Broomrape

Broomrape Overview

Orobanche is a genus containing around 160 parasitic plants in the Orobanchaceae family. They are native to temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere and characterised by their non-photosynthetic straw-coloured stems, almost total lack of visible leaves (they are often reduced to minute triangular scales) and spikes of snapdragon-like flowers in shades of yellow, white or blue. As they have no chlorophyll they obtain their nutrients by parasitising other plant species; consequently, they can be a major threat to agriculture.