Broomrape (2)

Clustered Broomrape
Aphyllon fasciculatum (Orobanche fasciculata)

Family: Broomrape (Orobanchaceae)
AKA: Cancer Root, Bundled Broomrape
Photo taken on: June 19, 2013
Location: Almont Triangle, GV, CO
Life Zones: Foothills to montane
Habitat: Sagebrush, open woods

Grows to 6" in clumps. The flowers grow on individual stalks branching from the same point. A parasite on Big Sagebrush.

Flora of North America reference.

Flat-top Broomrape
Aphyllon corymbosum (Orobanche corymbosa)

Family: Broomrape (Orobanchaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on: August 4, 2014
Location: Plaza Blanca, Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones: Plains and foothills
Habitat: Open, sandy areas

Grows a few inches high with many flowers and no leaves. Flowers grow in a short, dense, flat-topped cluster. The tubular flowers are whitish with purple-pink stripes and are deeply split at the top into five purplish lobes. In the center are bright yellow woolly anthers. The plant gets taller as it ages and the flowers turn brown. A parasite on plants in the Sunflower (Asteracea) family, Common Rabbitbrush was growing nearby.

Flora of North America reference.