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Orobanche hederae
Orobanche hederae, the ivy broomrape, is, like other members of the genus Orobanche, a parasitic plant without chlorophyll, and thus totally dependent on its host, which is ivy. It grows to 60 cm (2 ft), with stems in shades of brown and purple, sometimes yellow. The flowers are 10–22 mm (0.4–0.9 in) long, cream in colour with reddish-purple veins.
Ivy broomrape primarily propagates by seeds which are dispersed by wind, but is also able to regenerate from small fragments of roots that remain in the soil. Many broomrape seeds show considerable abilities to remain dormant but viable for many years.
The Greek physician Dioscorides wrote that the plant, called ὀροβάγχη, can be eaten raw or cooked like asparagus and also stated that cooking the plant with pulses makes the pulses cook faster. While Dioscorides doesn't include medicinal information in his description, Russian and Northern folklore both describe the plant as highly medicinal.
Thyme Broomrape · Orobanche canescens · Bedstraw broomrape · Nodding broomrape · Orobanche clausonis · Desert broomrape · Bean broomrape · Orobanche densiflora · Knapweed Broomrape · Broomrape Family · Orobanche lavandulacea · Hellroot
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Orobanche hederae by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
