Marin Chapter California Native Plant Society
Marin County Orobanche
text and photos by Doreen Smith
Orobanche bulbosa is parasitic on chamise, Adenostoma
fasciculatum, in the chaparral of Mt. Tamalpais.
Orobanche californica ssp. californica grows on Grindelia
stricta on Pt. Reyes. The photographed plants were flowering in July
at the west side of the tip of Chimney Rock peninsula.
Orobanche californica ssp. grayana has been collected near
the Chileno Laguna on Aster (Symphyotrichum spp.) No plants have been
reported seen recently.
Orobanche californica ssp. jepsonii: our plants were given
this name by the taxonomists at UC/JEPS herbarium from a collection
made recently. They are supposedly parasitic on Asteraceae. This
population was found near Sir Francis Drake High School where it
flowers on the creek bank in July and August. Our plants are very
like Orobanche vallicola, which is parasitic on Sambucus mexicana,
blue elderberry.
Orobanche fasciculata is most common on Mt. Tamalpais in late
spring where it is parasitic on shrubs. Plants have also been found
on the Tiburon peninsula in grassland.
Orobanche uniflora is a spring-flowering species.
Large-flowered plants grow along the below-Alpine- Dam pump road to
Kent Lake. Small-flowered plants have been seen on Sedum
spathulifolium along the Tomales bluffs next to Highway 1.
One rarely seen species of Orobanche is O. pinorum which
(surprisingly) is parasitic on ocean spray, Holodiscus discolor.
There are herbarium specimens from Lagunitas.
Some of the other spp. of Orobanche not illustrated here
haven't been seen or photographed recently. Perhaps someone will find
them and add to the Orobanche gallery on this website.
For more information and photographs of these
California native plants,
go to Calflora
or CalPhotos.
Contribute (e-mail) your wildflower sightings/ photos
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