BROOMRAPES OF THE WORLD

A practical guide to parasitic plants.

Parasitic plants are some of the most bizarre and fascinating organisms in the plant kingdom and have attracted attention for millennia. They have been studied by the ancient Greeks and used throughout history through to the modern day as herbal medicines, ingredients in recipes, ink for writing, and dye for textiles. The Orobanchaceae family, also known as broomrapes, is comprised of small parasitic plants with many diverse species, from the woodland-dwelling toothwort to the hardy desert hyacinth. This group of striking and unusual plants can be found in every biome in the world. 

This thorough guide is focused on species entirely dependent on their host for nutrients, revealing the taxonomically challenging species with clarity and precision for experts and amateurs alike. Illustrated throughout with 600 color photographs, each species profile includes habit, morphology, ecology, distribution, key diagnostics, and similar species. Introductory chapters cover the life cycle, biology, morphology, reproduction, habitats, ecology, distribution, traditional uses, and conservation of broomrapes around the world.

Chris Thorogood is deputy director and head of science of the University of Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum. He is a wildlife artist, botanical illustrator, and an international bestselling author of popular titles and specialist field guides, including Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Eastern Mediterranean, also published by Kew.

Renata Piwowarczyk is professor of botany at Jan Kochanowski University in Poland.

 Fred Rumsey is a herbarium taxonomist and field botanist at the Natural History Museum, London.

Gianniantonio Domina is associate professor of environmental and applied botany at the University of Palermo.