Botanical Family · Lamiales

Orobanchaceae

Broomrape Family

5 speciesOrder Lamiales5+ well-known plants

The Orobanchaceae family (Broomrape Family) is a botanical family placed in the order Lamiales. In the SASYA catalogue it spans 5 species across 3 genera. Its members are predominantly herbs. Well-represented genera include Aeginetia, Christisonia and Cistanche. Several members are valued in traditional medicine. Familiar examples include Forest Ghost Flower, Yellow Ghost flower and Bicolor Christisonia.

Browse all 5 species ↓

Representative specimen · Orobanchaceae

Key pattern

Often lacking chlorophyll entirely, or only partly green, these herbs attach to a host plant's roots via a parasitic connection instead of gathering all their own nutrients; bilaterally symmetrical, tubular flowers emerge directly from a fleshy, leafless, often brownish or yellowish stem.

Many members are full or partial root parasites, tapping directly into a host plant's roots for water, minerals, and even sugars — some have lost the ability to photosynthesise altogether.

Identify the species

Which Orobanchaceae species is this?

Answer what you can see and narrow it down to a single Orobanchaceae species.

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Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?

Purple

Yellow

Family identification method

To check whether a plant belongs to Orobanchaceae, compare the leaf arrangement, leaf type, flower symmetry, fruit type, and one distinctive marker together. A single feature can mislead; the family pattern is the combination.

Learn the full family-identification method