Taxonomy
Orobanche minor | Common Broomrape
Distribution
Status
Conservation status
Not Assessed
First reported in the wild
pre-1866
Invasiveness
Invasive species - risk of Medium Impact
Irish status
Established
Introduction pathways - 1
Transport Contaminant
Introduction pathways subclass - 1
Seed contaminant
Invasive score
17
NAPRA Ireland risk assessed
No
Species Biology
Identification
Parasitic on clovers and other legumes; stems up to 60cm, yellowish and usually strongly tinged with red or purple; corolla (flower petals as a unit) 10-18mm, yellow, usually strongly tinged with purple; stigma usually purple (Stace,1997).
Ecology
Parasite of a number of leguminous and non leguminous plants including red and white clover, burley tobacco, carrots, and several species of ornamental shrubs and herbs (Frost & Musselman, 1980).
Habitat
Grasslands and landscapes dominated by forbs, mosses or lichens; Inland unvegetated or sparsely vegetated habitats
Reproduction
Flowers late May to mid September (Rumsey & Jury, 1981).
Pathway and vector description
Reportedly introduced to Ireland in clover seed (Reynolds, 2002), its spread here is likely to have been in seed contaminates similar to the pattern of spread in Britain (Rumsey & Jury, 1991).
Mechanism of impact
Parasitism
Broad environment
Terrestrial
Habitat description
Parasite of other plants, mainly found in grasslands (Reynolds, 2002).
Species group
Plant
Native region
Europe, Temperate Asia
Distribution
World distribution(GBIF)
Irish distribution
Established - Widespread & Fairly Common, found mainly in grassland (Reynolds, 2002). Pattern of distribution in the south east where botanical recording effort is high would suggest that this species is more common than records would indicate or is at the northern limit in Ireland.
Native distribution
Native to most of Europe, including Britain, but also into temperate Asia (Rumsey & Jury, 1991).
Temporal change
Date of first record category
Pre-1900
Fifty year date category
Unknown
Records submitted to Data Centre in 2024
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How can you help
Report any sightings to the National Biodiversity Data Centre.
References
Publications
Rumsey, F. J., & Jury, S. L. (1991). An account of Orobanche L. in Britain and Ireland. Watsonia, 18(3), 257-295. Reynolds, S.C.P. (2002) A catalogue of alien plants in Ireland. National Botanic Gardens. Glasnevin, Dublin. Stace, C. (1997). New Flora of the British Isles 2nd Edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Frost, C. C., & Musselman, L. J. (1980). Clover broomrape (Orobanche minor) in the United States. Weed Science, 119-122.