California broomrape
Orobanche californica
Family: Orobanchaceae
What it is like
A parasitic plant. It usually grows attached to the roots of plants in the daisy family. It grows 35 cm tall. It does not have leaves or green colouring and takes its nutrients from the other plant. There can be one or several stems. They are purple and covered with hairs. There are several flowers in a group. The flowers are tube shaped and 5 cm long. They are pale pink or purple and the fruit is a capsule with very small seeds.
There are about 140 Orobanche species.
Where it is found
It is a temperate plant.
Countries/locations it is found in
Canada, North America, USA
How it is used for food
The underground stems are chewed.
Edible parts
Root