I spent the weekend in the Cotswolds with my wife and a friend, and this was one of the botanical highlights, Bean Broomrape (Orobanche crenata). It's not native to Britain, and is currently thought to be naturalised only a one site in north Essex. It does turn up in other southern counties however, as here in Gloucestershire. As you might guess from the name, it parasitises legumes (plants related to peas). This specimen, and the hundreds of other plants in the field, was parasitising White Clover (Trifolium repens). No doubt it was a seed contaminant that arrived with the Clover when it was sown.
The corolla with its five flared lobes (2 up, 3 down), each at almost 90 degrees to the main corolla tube, is a key feature apparently. Although on older flowers this was not so obvious.
Unfortunately this Orobanche is not included in a lot of the popular picture guides to Britain's plants, so hopefully it won't increase too much in Britain: if it does we may not notice! (And it might become an agricultural pest of other cultivated legumes, as it is in North Africa and other warmer climes).
It's possible that this is just in fact Orobanche minor, the reason being the stigma, which is purple here, but is supposed to be much lighter in crenata.
ReplyDelete