Orobanche minor
common broomrape
Europe, North Africa, and western Asia
SunFull Sun – Part Shade
WaterMedium
Overview
Orobanche minor is an annual root parasite with no chlorophyll, drawing all its water and nutrients from the roots of host plants, especially clovers and other legumes. In place of green leaves it has only small brownish scales along a single fleshy, unbranched stem 4-20 inches (10-50 cm) tall, colored yellowish to honey-brown and often flushed purple. From early to late summer the upper stem forms a dense spike of tubular, two-lipped flowers about 0.5-0.75 inch (12-18 mm) long, pale yellow veined and tinged with purple. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the whole plant is straw to purplish-brown rather than green and depends entirely on a living host. It attaches to host roots underground and emerges only to flower and set vast numbers of tiny, dust-like seeds that can persist in soil for years. It grows in grassland, field margins, and disturbed ground across a wide host range, and is treated as a crop weed where it attacks clover and related legumes. It cannot be grown on its own, as it dies without a suitable host, and it disappears once the host is removed.
Native Range
Orobanche minor is native to Europe, North Africa, and western Asia, where it grows in grassland, meadows, and cultivated and disturbed ground. It has spread widely beyond this range as a weed of clover and other legume crops, including parts of North America and Australia.Suggested Uses
Orobanche minor has no garden use and is regarded as a weed of clover and other legume crops. It appears spontaneously rather than being planted. Control focuses on preventing it from seeding and on managing its host plants.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height4" - 1'8"
Width/Spread2" - 6"
Bloom Information
Tubular pale yellow flowers tinged purple open from June to August in a dense terminal spike. They are visited by bees and other insects. Each flower produces a capsule packed with minute dust-like seeds that ripen and shed by late summer.
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
Pale yellow tinged purpleFoliage Description
Brownish scale leaves, no green foliageGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 4-10 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Water & Climate
Water Needs