Hemi-Parasitic Plants |
Broomrape Family [Orobanchaceae] |
status
flower
morph
petals
(4)type
stem
rarity
12th July 2014, wigg Island, Runcorn, Cheshire. | Photo: © RWD |
A short annual up to 50cm high found in damp grassy places often near the sea. |
12th July 2014, wigg Island, Runcorn, Cheshire. | Photo: © RWD |
Flowers in a spike not in whorls, the lower more widely spaced and turning to fruit first. |
12th July 2014, wigg Island, Runcorn, Cheshire. | Photo: © RWD |
Upper flowers cramped. Often topped by a small congregation of upwardly-directed green sepals yet to flower. Flowers all yellow. |
12th July 2014, wigg Island, Runcorn, Cheshire. | Photo: © RWD |
Birds-eye view. |
12th July 2014, wigg Island, Runcorn, Cheshire. | Photo: © RWD |
Has two petals, a top hood and a lower lip with three lobes. The hood is a slightly paler yellow than or yellow-green than the deep-yellow lip. The lip has two concolorous lumps on it somewhat reminiscent of those of Common Toadflax (Linarea vulgaris), which it superficially resembles. |
12th July 2014, wigg Island, Runcorn, Cheshire. | Photo: © RWD |
The hood has two white or purple-tipped teeth just lurking in the upturned-V-shaped upper part. |
12th July 2014, wigg Island, Runcorn, Cheshire. | Photo: © RWD |
The hood, sepals and stems have short glandular yellow hairs which make the plant feel sticky. |
12th July 2014, wigg Island, Runcorn, Cheshire. | Photo: © RWD |
The spent sepals, from which protrudes the remains of the now fawnish-coloured organs, have but four long teeth (rather than the usual 5) |
12th July 2014, wigg Island, Runcorn, Cheshire. | Photo: © RWD |
Beneath each sepal tube is a toothed and un-stalked broad to narrow leaf. |
12th July 2014, wigg Island, Runcorn, Cheshire. | Photo: © RWD |
The fruit lurks within the sepal tube. |
12th July 2014, wigg Island, Runcorn, Cheshire. | Photo: © RWD |
Single leaves beneath each sepal tube. |
Not to be semantically confused with : Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor) [another hemi-parasitic plant in the same family] Uniquely identifiable characteristics Distinguishing Feature : The only plant in its Genus (at least in the UK). It is a Bartsia as is Red Bartsia (Odontites vernus), but that is in a differing genus (although same Broomrape Family, Orobanchaceae) It differs from Red Bartsia in a number of features, the most obvious being that Yellow Bartsiis upright and with yellow flowers on all sides of the usually un-branched stem (whereas Red Bartsia has red flowers, mainly on one side of the arching and usually branching stems). It is frequent in the South and West of Britain, on damp ground especially near the sea. This is a Hemi-Parasitic plant, meaning that it relies on obtaining some of its nutrients from the roots of nearby plants, usually grasses.
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Parentucellia | viscosa | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Orobanchaceae |
Parentucellia (Yellow Bartsia) |
Broomrape Family [Orobanchaceae] |