Foothills, montane. Openings, shrublands, woodlands. Summer.
Lone Mesa State Park, June 11, 2008.

This is a common Orobanchaceae, usually parasitic on Sagebrush but also on various Salt Bushes and other plants in Pinyon/Juniper forests.  It can grow to about six inches tall but is more typically only one-to-four inches tall.  

This plant was collected by Thomas Nuttall "in sandy alluvial soils, around Fort Mandan" [quotation from Intermountain Flora] in 1811 or 1812 and was named Orobanche fasciculata by Nuttall in his 1818 Genera of North American Plants.  Weber prefers the 1856 name of Aphyllon fasciculatum given by Torrey and Gray.

Foothills, montane. Openings, shrublands, woodlands. Summer.
Lone Mesa State Park, June 11, 2008.

Foothills, montane. Openings, shrublands, woodlands. Summer.
Lone Mesa State Park, August 1, 2009.

A dead and dried Orobanche fasciculatum shows how its root surrounds a root of its host, Artemisia nova.  Note also that most of the stem (just below the shiny portion) was below ground and the total stem length about equals the pedicel length.

See the next photograph for a close-up view.

Foothills, montane. Openings, shrublands, woodlands. Summer.
Lone Mesa State Park, August 1, 2009.

Foothills, montane. Openings, shrublands, woodlands. Summer.
Mesa de Cuba, New Mexico, June 1, 2010.

Most of the very short stem lies below ground. The pedicels (the long portions of the plant supporting the flowers) are much longer than the stem (just above ground level the very short portion of the plant which gives rise to the pedicels).

This species was named by Linnaeus in 1753 from specimens collected in Virginia.

Orobanche uniflora.  Synonym:  Aphyllon uniflorum.  (Broomrape)
Orobanchaceae (Broomrape Family)

Foothills, montane. Openings, shrublands, woodlands. Summer.
Mesa de Cuba, New Mexico, June 1, 2010.

Orobanche uniflora.  Synonym:  Aphyllon uniflorum.  (Broomrape)
Orobanchaceae (Broomrape Family)

Foothills, montane. Openings, shrublands, woodlands. Summer.
Mesa de Cuba, New Mexico, June 1, 2010.

Both species shown on this page are quite glandular-hairy.

Range map © John Kartesz,
Floristic Synthesis of North America

State Color Key

Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state

County Color Key

Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Native species, but adventive in state
Eradicated
Questionable presence

Range map for  Orobanche fasciculata

Range map for Orobanche uniflora