Broomrape
Overview
 
Broomrape or Broom-rape (Orobanche) is a genus of over 200 species of parasitic herbaceous plants in the family Orobanchaceae
Orobanchaceae
Orobanchaceae, the broomrape family, is a family of flowering plants of the order Lamiales, with about 90 genera and more than 2000 species. Many of these genera were formerly included in the family Scrophulariaceae sensu lato...

, mostly native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...

. Some species formerly included in this genus are now referred to the genus Conopholis
Conopholis
Conopholis is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Orobanchaceae.-Species:*Conopholis alpina, alpine cancer-root**Conopholis alpina var. mexicana, Mexican cancer-root...

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The broomrape plant is small, from 10–60 cm tall depending on species. It is best recognized by its yellow-to-straw coloured stems completely lacking chlorophyll
Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in almost all plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Its name is derived from the Greek words χλωρος, chloros and φύλλον, phyllon . Chlorophyll is an extremely important biomolecule, critical in photosynthesis, which allows plants to obtain energy from light...

, bearing yellow, white or blue, snapdragon
SnapDragon
SnapDragon is a contemporary jazz band based in San Antonio, Texas. The group released their debut CD, "Stealing a Moment" on Humbug Records in 2008, and the 10-song CD soon broke the Top 100 in U.S radio airplay...

-like flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...

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