Aphyllon Purpureum

Day 277: This exquisite parasite is one of my favourite wildflowers. It bears a rather unfortunate common name, one which inevitably draws disparaging comments from readers who are unfamiliar with the root words which form it. It is Broomrape. "Broom" refers to legumes (a family which includes Scotch broom, among others) and "rape" comes from Latin "rapum," meaning "a tuber." The name is quite logical when you have the linguistic background since Aphyllon purpureum (formerly Orobanche uniflora) is parasitic on the roots of certain legumes, but in this case, it is associated with sedum (the green succulent foliage in the foreground). The Latin name "Aphyllon" means "without leaves." The parasite has no chlorophyll and therefore is not capable of photosynthesis on its own. It enslaves the sedum as its nutrient-provider, and eventually will kill the host plant. That said, in most instances, the sedum manages to stay ahead of the game by reproducing before it dies, creating a new generation of plants for Aphyllon to parasitize. Team Biota has been monitoring this particular colony for seven or eight years now, and it seems to have achieved a balance between the two species.

Another Name Bites The Dust

Day 229: As of this writing, you may still refer to Aphyllon purpureum by its synonym Orobanche uniflora, but at the rate Latin binomials are being revised, that terminology may change by the time I hit the "post" button. I'm trying to keep up, honest I am, but there are moments when I just want to reach out through the ether to throttle the first taxonomist I can lay my hands on. ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System) still lists it as Orobanche, but I happen to know that my contact at the Burke Museum has more up-to-date sources. Burke puts it under Aphyllon purpureum, and I accept their authority.

In any event, this lovely flower has no foliage. The leaves you see in the photo belong to Suksdorfia ranunculifolia (I checked...that nomenclature is current, and the plant will be the subject of a future post). While Oroba...dammit...Aphyllon frequently grows in the same environments, it is parasitic on several different species of sedum (small succulents, specifically S. oreganum and S. divergens in Mount Rainier National Park). It draws nutrients from its host and cannot exist independent of it. Research is being done to determine if the relationship goes two ways, but current studies do not indicate any benefit to the sedum. It is also parasitic on some members of the pea family, hence its common name "Naked Broomrape." "Broom" refers to the legumes (think "Scotch broom") and "rape" comes from Latin "rapum," meaning "a tuber."