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Striga
Also called Witchweeds
Striga, or witchweed, is a genus of root parasites that attach to the roots of host plants, mainly cereal crops such as maize, sorghum and millet, and draw water and nutrients from them. It is not a plant to grow for ornament or in a garden; the key to 'growing' it is that it needs a host plant.
For the Roman army barracks-block, see Castra#List of Latin terms.
Striga, commonly known as witchweed, is a genus of parasitic plants that occur naturally in parts of Africa, Asia, and Australia. It is currently classified in the family Orobanchaceae, although older classifications place it in the Scrophulariaceae. Some species are serious pathogens of cereal crops, with the greatest effects being in savanna agriculture in Africa. It also causes considerable crop losses in other regions, including other tropical and subtropical crops in its native range and in the Americas. The generic name derives from Latin strī̆ga, "witch".
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Striga by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
