Flowers of the Southwest Deserts

by Natt N. Dodge

Orobanche ludoviciana

Common names: BROOMRAPE, BURROWED STRANGLER, CANCER-ROOT Arizona, California, and Texas deserts: (Orobanche ludoviciana). Brownish-purple. March-July. Broomrape family. Size: 4 to 15 inches tall.

This root parasite, although not common, is sufficiently strange and striking in appearance to arrest attention. Its purple to yellowish-brown, leafless flower stalks somewhat resembling coarse shoots of asparagus rise above the desert soil, usually in open, sandy locations.

Broomrape, of which there are several species, is found throughout the Southwest from southern Utah and Nevada to Texas, California, and Mexico.

The plant is parasitic on the roots of a number of different plants, but the desert species usually parasitize Burrobush, Bur-sage, and other composites. Flowers are small, purple with brown and white markings, and monopolize the plant stalk in the absence of foliage.

Underground parts of the plant were eaten by Southwestern Indians. The name “Cancer-root” refers to the reported efficacy of treatment in applying the stems of the plant to ulcers.

PURPLE

Astragalus mollissimus