A really exciting discovery made today growing on one of our ivies. An Ivy Broomrape (Orobanche hederae). It appeared on one of the variegated forms that we have growing in a largish pot.
Broomrape's strange plants that contain no chlorophyll themselves. They are essentially parasitic plants that attache themselves to the roots of another plant to gain the nutrients to live.
The host plant, in this case an Ivy does all the work making sugars and starches necessary for living on and the Broomrape just takes what it needs.
Broomrape's are not very common themselves, so it was with some excitement to find one growing on an Ivy plant. It seems to be fairly substantial in size, in this picture is the main flower spike, but there are another five more to come up and flower.
Hopefully I can collect plenty of seed and intend to try and establish them around the garden on wild Ivy that grows around.
The flower spike of an Ivy Broomrape (Orobanche hederae)
22nd June 2009
22nd June 2008
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