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cancer root, ghost pipe, naked broomrape, one-flower broom-rape, one-flower cancer-root, orobanche uniflore, small cancer-root

many-flower broomrape

Habit Plants simple or few-branched basally, sometimes forked medially, 3.5–18(–25) cm (including pedicels), stem portion 1–5(–7) cm, slender, base not enlarged. Plants simple or few-branched, 7–27 cm, relatively slender, base usually not enlarged.
Roots

inconspicuous, slender or stout, unbranched or few-branched.

usually inconspicuous, slender, unbranched or branched.

Leaves

relatively few, loosely imbricate or more remote, loosely ascending to spreading;

blade oblong-lanceolate to awl-shaped, 2–10 mm, margins entire, often inrolled, apex acuminate, surfaces glabrous.

numerous, appressed;

blade lanceolate or broadly triangular, 3–10 mm, margins entire, sometimes ciliate, apex acute, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

of solitary flowers or fascicles of 2(–4) at stem or branch tips, white to cream, sometimes purple tinged, simple, glabrous;

bracts loosely ascending and erect, oblanceolate to broadly ovate, obovate, rhombic, or awl-shaped, 5–12 mm, apex acute to acuminate, glabrous, rarely glandular-pubescent distally.

racemes, sometimes thyrsoid, pale yellow, white, or tan proximally, purple or pale lavender distally, sometimes branched, densely glandular-pubescent, appearing whitish or canescent, sometimes with axillary branches;

flowers numerous;

bracts erect to reflexed, ± lanceolate, 11–20 mm, apex acute or acuminate, densely glandular-pubescent.

Pedicels

(8–)20–110(–170) mm, much longer than plant axis;

bracteoles 0.

0–5 mm, much shorter than plant axis;

bracteoles 2.

Flowers

calyx white to straw colored or light yellow, or pale to dark, dull purple, sometimes brownish, ± radially symmetric, 4–12(–15) mm, divided into 5 subequal lobes, lobes slightly shorter than to 2 times as long as tube, ± triangular or subulate-triangular, sparsely to moderately glandular-pubescent;

corolla (11–)15–30(–35) mm, tube white to purple, blue, or yellow, sometimes lighter proximally or with light or darker purple or blue veins, slightly to moderately constricted above ovary, ± bent forward, glandular-pubescent;

palatal folds ± prominent, bright yellow, glandular- and/or eglandular-pubescent, sometimes glabrescent;

lips white, yellow, purple, or blue, sometimes with light or darker purple or blue veins, abaxial lip slightly to moderately spreading, sometimes ± recurved distally, (1–)2–6(–9) mm, lobes oblong-obovate to nearly round, apex rounded to bluntly pointed or shallowly emarginate (sometimes with 2 notches), adaxial lip slightly to moderately spreading, sometimes recurved, 2–6(–9) mm, lobes broadly oblong-ovate to oblong-semiorbiculate, apex rounded, rarely bluntly pointed or shallowly emarginate;

filaments glabrous, anthers included, glabrous or villous-tomentose.

calyx pallid externally, purple internally, weakly bilaterally symmetric, 15–21 mm, deeply divided into 5 lobes, lobes lanceolate-attenuate, densely glandular-pubescent;

corolla 22–36 mm, tube white to pallid or cream, sometimes pinkish or light purplish tinged, rarely light yellow distally, sometimes with purple veins, constricted above ovary, only slightly bent forward, densely pubescent;

palatal folds prominent, yellow, densely pubescent;

lips externally white to pallid or cream, sometimes pinkish or light purplish tinged, internally pink or purple, sometimes white with purple veins, rarely light yellow, abaxial lip spreading, 5–9 mm, lobes broadly lanceolate, apex obtuse or rounded, adaxial lip erect or reflexed, 6–12 mm, lobes oblong, apex rounded;

filaments pilose with ring of hairs at insertion, anthers included, woolly.

Capsules

ovoid to oblong-ovoid, 4–8(–11) mm.

ovoid, 8–12 mm.

Seeds

0.1–0.4 mm.

0.4–0.5 mm.

2n

= 48.

Orobanche uniflora

Orobanche multiflora

Phenology Flowering Aug–Sep.
Habitat Arid grasslands, semideserts, open woodlands.
Elevation 0–2500 m. (0–8200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; NM; TX
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Orobanche uniflora forms a polymorphic complex that requires more detailed study. The detection of broad-scale patterns of morphological variation is confounded by the differentiation among local races. D. M. Achey (1933) recognized five varieties, and K. C. Watson (1975), in her unpublished thesis, revised the classification to three subspecies. The present treatment, which accepts only the two major infraspecific variants as subspecies, should be considered highly tentative.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Orobanche multiflora is parasitic mainly on Gutierrezia and occasionally Heterotheca (Asteraceae). A population in southern Texas is parasitic on Varilla texana (Asteraceae).

There is considerable confusion about what constitutes Orobanche multiflora. It has been interpreted as both a variety and subspecies of O. ludoviciana. The much larger flowers (22–36 mm versus 14–20 mm) set it apart from O. ludoviciana. P. A. Munz (1930) described four varieties of O. multiflora: vars. arenosa, multiflora (as typica), pringlei, and xanthocroa. Variety xanthocroa was based on a specimen of Conopholis. Variety arenosa is treated in synonymy under O. ludoviciana. Variety pringlei was based on a few specimens from northeastern Mexico that appear to represent an undescribed species.

The distribution range is not well defined in the literature. The authors consider Orobanche multiflora to have a much more restricted range than previously indicated, occurring mostly in Colorado, New Mexico, and adjacent northwestern Texas, with disjunct populations in southern Texas that are apparently this species. Specimen data indicate that the species distribution is most likely east of the Continental Divide; plants from west of the continental divide with this binomial are probably misidentified.

Plants from five counties in extreme southern Texas, near the Mexican border, appear to be a disjunct variant of Orobanche multiflora that flowers in spring. The flowers are about the same length, but the corolla tube is much narrower. Margins of the petals are often undulate and are an unusual shade of blue-purple. The pubescence at the base of the filaments is also reduced. Host and habitat differences also raise questions about the classification of these plants.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Calyx lobes slightly shorter than to only slightly longer than tubes, narrowly to broadly lanceolate-triangular; corollas white to pale yellow, sometimes pale purplish tinged and/or with light purple veins.
subsp. uniflora
1. Calyx lobes ca. 2 times as long as tubes, subulate-triangular; corollas purple to blue (often with a white throat), yellow, or white, often with darker purple or blue veins.
subsp. occidentalis
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 472. FNA vol. 17, p. 482.
Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Orobanche Orobanchaceae > Orobanche
Sibling taxa
O. arizonica, O. bulbosa, O. californica, O. cooperi, O. corymbosa, O. fasciculata, O. ludoviciana, O. minor, O. multiflora, O. parishii, O. pinorum, O. ramosa, O. riparia, O. robbinsii, O. valida, O. vallicola
O. arizonica, O. bulbosa, O. californica, O. cooperi, O. corymbosa, O. fasciculata, O. ludoviciana, O. minor, O. parishii, O. pinorum, O. ramosa, O. riparia, O. robbinsii, O. uniflora, O. valida, O. vallicola
Subordinate taxa
O. uniflora subsp. occidentalis, O. uniflora subsp. uniflora
Synonyms Anoplanthus uniflorus, Aphyllon uniflorum, Thalesia uniflora Aphyllon multiflorum, Myzorrhiza multiflora, O. ludoviciana subsp. multiflora, O. ludoviciana var. multiflora
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 633. (1753) Nuttall: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 4: 22. (1848)
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