OROBANCHACEAE (BROOM-RAPE FAMILY) 209 



OROBANCHACEAE (BROOM-RAPE FAMILY) 



Herbs, erect, low, root parasites, white or yellow or brown or 

 purple, without green; stem simple. Leaves scalelike, alternate. 

 Flowers perfect, irregular. Calyx various. Corolla 2-lipped, 

 5-lobed. Stamens 4, 2 shorter, on the corolla tube, alternate with 

 corolla lobes. Ovary superior, i-celled; style slender. Capsule 

 2-valved. Seeds many. 



A. Plant glandular-pubescent; inflorescence often not conelike; upper lip of 



corolla 2-lobed. 



B. Peduncles 2.5-20 cm. long, naked. THALESIA (p. 209) 



BB. Peduncles 0-2 cm. long, often with bracteoles at base of calyx or farther 

 down. OROBANCHE (p. 209) 



AA. Plant glabrous; inflorescence conelike; upper lip of corolla entire. 



BOSCHNIAKIA (p. 209) 



THALESIA (CANCER-ROOT) 



Leaves scattered. Flowers on long bractless scapelike peduncles. Calyx 

 nearly equally 5-cleft. Corolla long, curved, slightly 2-lipped; lower lip 

 3-lobed. Anther sacs mucronate at base. (Honor of the Greek philosopher 

 Thales.) 



A. Flowers 1-4; calyx lobes subulate, acuminate, longer than the tube. W. C. E. 



T. uniflora 



AA. Flowers 3-20; calyx lobes triangular, acute, shorter than the tube. W. C. E. 



T. fasciculata 



BOSCHNIAKIA 



Parasitic on plants of the family Ericaceae. Leaves densely crowded. 

 Flowers sessile or short-pedicelled. Calyx shorter at the back, with 3 teeth 

 in front. Corolla swollen at base on i side ; lower lip 3-lobed or -toothed. 

 Anther sacs blunt at base. (Honor of some Russian, a Mr. Boschniak.) 



A. Calyx with 2 hairlike bracteoles at base; calyx teeth subulate; corolla lips nearly 

 equal; placentae 4. W. B. strobilacea 



AA. Calyx without bracteoles; calyx teeth triangular, blunt; lower corolla lip J as 

 long as the upper; placentae 2. W. B. hooker! 



OROBANCHE (BROOM-RAPE) 



Leaves scattered. Flowers in spikes or racemes. Calyx unequally 

 5-toothed. Corolla strongly 2-lipped; lower lip 3-lobed. Anther sacs 

 usually mucronate at base. (Gk. orobos = a vetch, agchone a strangler ; 

 thought injurious to vetches.) 



A. Calyx lobes plainly longer than the tube. 

 B. Pedicels 5-16 mm. long; stem simple or branched. 



C. Stem 5-10 cm. high; anthers woolly. W. E. O. comosa 



CC. Stem 20-30 cm. high; anthers glabrous or slightly hairy. E. O. californica 



F. & R. EL. FL. 14 



