Parasitic Plants |
Broomrape Family [Orobanchaceae] |
status
flower
flower
inner
morph
petals
type
stem
smell
scentrarity
Harris, Outer Hebrides, Scotland. | Photo: © Phil And Ann Farrer |
mid May 2015, Deal, Kent. | Photo: © Barney Case |
Unlike Common Broomrape Thyme Broomrape has bracts on the main stem that are shorter than the length of the flowers. |
18th Aug 2010, Crooker Moher, The Burren, Eire. | Photo: © Paula O'Meara |
Purple-mauve hairy stems bear several 'euphonium-like' openings, being the flowers, which have two lips, an upper and a lower. The lower lip usually has three lobes. The flower openings can be tinged yellowish, or rarely whitish (hence the misnomer alba in the specific epithet - second part of the scientific name). |
mid May 2015, Deal, Kent. | Photo: © Barney Case |
It has three frilly lower lips, and a cowl over a heart-shaped dark-coloured short dangly thing. Like most Broomrapes it is covered in short hairs. |
mid May 2015, Deal, Kent. | Photo: © Barney Case |
seen from the side the cowl hides two parts of the flower, including an inner structure partly hidden by the dark heart-shaped structure. Each flower also has a dark bract just underneath with three teeth. |
Possible confusion with: Common Broomrape which may also have red/purple stems, but that is over twice as tall, at 60cm. Some similarities to : Lousewort which also has reddish/pinkish 'euphonium-like' openings, but is much shorter. Lousewort is only hemi-parasitic, and not fully parasitic as are the Broomrapes. No relation to : Broom [a plant with similar name]. All Broomrapes are Parasitic Plants, lacking chlorophyll to synthesize their own products and instead taking their nutrients from the roots of a host plant. In the case of Thyme Broomrape, this is mainly with Wild Thyme. It occurs near the coast. Thyme Broomrape is a short 25cm with purple/mauve stems; the only other Broomrape with this colour of stem is Common Broomrape but that has stem bracts that are longer than the length of the flowers. No relation to : Broom (Cytisus scoparius) or Butcher's Broom (Ruscus aculeatus) [plants with similar name belonging to differing families]. See the pull-out table below for comparisons with other Broomrapes and all their identifying and delineating characteristics.
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Orobanche | alba | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Orobanchaceae |
Orobanche (Broomrapes) |
Broomrape Family [Orobanchaceae] |