Orobanche purpurea Yarrow Broomrape RR DD N
Another puzzling Orobanche which, as its name suggests is parasitic upon the roots of Achillea millefolium (Yarrow). The puzzle is that Achillea is so common and widespread you would expect it to be dotted evenly around the habitats of the host in the UK but it is actually a very rare plant. This one grows in one particular location in an otherwise neatly mowed cemetery. The mowers and tidiers have been persuaded to leave this little bit of the cemetery unkempt (natural) while the Broomrapes flower. There were at least 10 in a small area most of which were very small plants.
O. purpurea has a few records sparsely dotted around England with the greatest concentrations in north Norfolk, The Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands. There is one site in Wales but it is not found in Scotland or Ireland.
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| Orobanche purpurea Yarrow Broomrape |
Added on July 10th 2005, updated 24th January 2011