Orobanche alba

Orobanche alba is a short reddish annual with simple flowering stems. It generally parasitises plants from Thymus and has fewer, smaller flowers which are in bloom from May to June. • '''Orobanche alba subsp. cuprea': First reported in 1879 by Pierre Edmond Boissier and Benjamin Balansa, it was originally described as a separate species Orobanche cuprea''. It differs due to its conspicuous yellow folds on the lower lip of each flower as well as its consistently white stigma. ==Habitat==

Orobanche alba is usually found on dry sunny slopes, steppes, subalpine and alpine grasslands, growing in calcareous, alkaline, sandy or loamy soil. It parasitises plants from the mint family. ==Distribution==

Africa Orobanche alba can be found in north-west Africa and is native to Morocco and Algeria. Asia Orobanche alba is native to countries throughout the Middle East and Asia including Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of China. It is also present in the west of Ireland. ==References==