Kingdom Plantae Family Orobanchaceae Scientific name Orobanche bulbosa Rank Species | Order Lamiales Genus Orobanche Higher classification Orobanche | |
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Similar Orobanche, Orobanche vallicola, Orobanche californica, Orobanche corymbosa, Orobanchaceae | ||
Orobanche bulbosa is a species of broomrape known by the common name chaparral broomrape.
It is native to the chaparral of California and Baja California. It is a parasite growing attached to the roots of shrubs, usually chamise.
Description
Orobanche bulbosa arises from a thick root and a bulbous, twisted, scaly stem base, and grows erect to a maximum height near 30 centimetres (12 in). As a parasite taking its nutrients from a host plant, it lacks leaves and chlorophyll. It is dark purple to nearly black in color, with tiny whitish bumps bearing hairs.
The inflorescence is a dense spike-like or pyramid-shaped cluster of generally over 20 flowers. Each flower is tubular, between 1 and 2 centimetres (0.4 and 0.8 in) long, and yellow to purple in color.
The fruit is a capsule containing minute seeds.