Helleborine?

[jennyb]

I found something interesting in my garden today and my closest guess is Red Helleborine.

Last winter we took down a conifer which had grown too big too close to the house. We have not had the stump removed yet, but I found several of these flowers growing around the stump. Most were just buds but one was flowering. They are very hairy and there were no leaves to speak of, only little shoots growing out of the stem.

Sorry about the quality of the photographs. When the weather cheers up a bit, I will go out and try to take some better photos to upload to the Gallery.

Any suggestions?





Thanks,

Jenny

[ceterach]

Hi Jenny

This is a Broomrape, an Orobanche species. These are parasitic on the roots of other plants and have no chlorophyll.
Without knowing how tall it is and at least some idea of the plants it is growing amongst I wouldn't like to hazard a guess at the exact species.

Nice photos especially the second.

All the best

[jennyb]

I have just looked up Broomrape (never even heard of it!) and I think you are correct. Now to find out which one.....

The one that is flowering is no more than 10 cms high. Some of the others in bud are slightly taller.

The tree that was cut down was a Cypress (not sure which kind) and it shares a flower bed with a Cotoneaster and a Senecio greyi.

In my book, the most likely candidate is Common Broomrape - Orobanche minor.

Any other suggestions would be welcome.

Many thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

Jenny

[Hornbeam]

The purplish tint suggests common broomrape and that has a variety of hosts. If the purple looks stronger as more flowers open, you might consider yarrow broomrape.

Lucky you to have it in your garden and superb photos

[jennyb]

I will keep an eye on the ones that have not flowered yet in the hope of getting a better photo/ID. The current one is a bit past its sell-by date.

It never ceases to amaze me that I find different wildflowers in the garden every year. I would have expected to find the same ones year in, year out, but I have found quite a few new ones this year and several that have not appeared from last year.

Jenny

[Tiggrx]

It is almost certainly Lesser Broomrape (Orobanche minor) - Senecio grayi is a very common host for this species.

[AlanS]

Yes, it is Orobanche minor.

A variable species - for some of the variation and more information on them, see Orobanche (Broomrapes) (University of Paisley: Biodiversity Reference)

Alan Silverside

[jennyb]

Originally Posted by AlanS

Yes, it is Orobanche minor.

A variable species - for some of the variation and more information on them, see Orobanche (Broomrapes) (University of Paisley: Biodiversity Reference)

Alan Silverside

That's really useful information - all you ever need to know about broomrape and more! In fact, your whole site is really useful. I have bookmarked it and I am sure I will be back when I am researching further finds in my garden.

Many thanks,

Jenny