Family Orobanchaceae
Description: Hemiparasitic to holoparasitic herbs, shrubs or vines. Rhizomatous or tuberous, with rhizomes forming rootlets which are swollen where attached to roots of the host plant.
Leaves much reduced to scales or absent. If present leaves membranous, sessile, simple and entire with eglandular hairs.
Inflorescence terminal, a raceme or spike. Corolla 5-merous, strongly 2 lipped, stamens 4, staminode one when present, ovary 1 or 2-locular.
Fruit a capsule. Seeds 12- many, dehiscent, minute.
Distribution and occurrence: Temperate to tropical, cosmopolitan. East South America, Eastern Australia and New Zealand. World 96 genera; 2059 species. Australia c. 20 species
External links:
Angiosperm Phylogeny Website (Family: Orobanchaceae, Order: Lamiales)
Wikipedia
Text by Louisa Murray
Taxon concept: Kadereit, J.W. (2004) The Families and Genera of Vasdcular Plants. p 405.
Taxa not yet included in identification key
Castilleja
| | Key to the genera | |
| 1 | Leaves scale-like; stem, leaves, bracts and calyx brown | Orobanche |
| 1 | Leaves conspicuous, not scale-like; stem, leaves, bracts and calyx green | 2 |
| 2 | Calyx spathe-like, compressed, split down the lower edge, 5-toothed or entire at apex | Centranthera |
| Calyx not compressed, equally cleft between the lobes or sepals, 3–5-lobed or toothed
Back to 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Leaves without glandular hairs, but with other hair types | 4 |
| Leaves with glandular hairs and often on other parts of the plant; calyx tubular to cup-shaped, 4-lobed or toothed; corollas various with lobes uneven
Back to 2 | 5 |
| 4 | Hairs on leaves retrorse and non-glandular; calyx tubular, 10-veined, 5-toothed; corolla trumpet shaped lobes more or less equal | Buchnera |
| Hairs on leaves antrorsely scabrid with white crystalline hairs, calyx 5-ribbed; corolla tubular with short spreading lobes
Back to 3 | Striga |
| 5 | Upper corolla lobes recurved; calyx 4-lobed | Euphrasia |
| Upper corolla lobes pointed outwards; calyx 4-toothed
Back to 3 | 6 |
| 6 | Capsules oblong; seeds smooth or finely reticulate, c. 0.5 mm long | Parentucellia |
| Capsules globose; seeds ribbed, scalariform between ribs, c. 0.7 mm long
Back to 5 | Bartsia |
|
