[Illustration: 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.