Phelipanche ramosa (L.) Pomel (syn. : Orobanche ramosa L., Phelypaea ramosa (L.) C.A. Mey.) (S and SC Eur., N Afr., SW As., Macaronesia) – A very rare and ephemeral alien. Already known in Belgium in the 18th century (Roucel 1792) and probably much longer (it is considered an archaeophyte in many parts of northern Europe; e.g. Stace 2010). In the 20th century much decreasing and now considered extinct (Lambinon & Verloove 2012). Phelipanche ramosa was probably last seen in 2000 near a grain mill in Willebroek, obviously as a grain alien.
While Phelipanche ramosa dramatically decreased in large parts of its range in the 20th century, it is recently spreading in agricultural fields, especially oilseed rape, tobacco, hemp and tomato (Kohlschmid & al. 2011). This holds true for Germany but also for parts of France (Tison & de Foucault 2014) and doubtlessly elsewhere too.
Phelipanche ramosa is an exceedingly variable species. Chater & Webb (1972) distinguished three subspecies (subsp. mutelii, subsp. nana and subsp. ramosa). These are now usually given specific status and all are weedy. The former, for instance, is the taxon encountered in Australia (Virtue & al. 2014, Prider 2015). The identity of the Belgian plants has not been critically revised.
Selected literature:
Abu Shakra S., Miah A.A. & Saghir A.R. (1971) Morphology and anatomy of branched broomrape (Orobanche ramosa L.) seed. Proc. Int. Seed Test. Ass. 36(2): 251-254.
Chater A.O. & Webb D.A. (1972) Orobanche. In: Tutin T.G. & al. (eds.), Flora Europaea, vol. 3. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 286-293.
Hodvina S. (2012) Letzte Nachweise der in Hessen ausgestorbenen oder verschollenen Pflanzenarten: Ergebnisse einer Literatur- und Herbarauswertung. Botanik und Naturschutz in Hessen. Beiheft 11: 341 p. [available online at: http://www.bvnh.de/bnh/]
Kohlschmid E., Müller-Stöver D. & Sauerborn J. (2011) Ausbreitung des parasitischen Unkrauts Phelipanche ramosa in der deutschen Landwirtschaft. Gesunde Pflanzen 63: 69-74. [available online at: https://www.uni-hohenheim.de/publication/ausbreitung-des-parasitischen-u...
Lambinon J. & Verloove F. (avec coll. Delvosalle L., Toussaint B., Geerinck D., Hoste I., Van Rossum F., Cornier B., Schumacker R., Vanderpoorten A. & Vannerom H.) (2012) Nouvelle Flore de la Belgique, du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, du Nord de la France et des Régions voisines (Ptéridophytes et Spermatophytes). Sixième édition. Jardin botanique national de Belgique, Meise: CXXXIX + 1195 p.
Metzner A. (2008) Erfassungen der Ästigen Sommerwurz (Orobanche ramosa) in der pfälzischen Rheinebene. GNOR Info 106: 30-31.
Piwowarczyk R. (2012) A revision of distribution and historical analysis of preferred hosts of Orobanche ramosa (Orobanchaceae) in Poland. Acta Agrobotanica 65(1): 53-62. [available online at: http://yadda.icm.edu.pl/yadda/element/bwmeta1.element.agro-943f2cb4-6180...
Prider J. (2015) The reproductive biology of the introduced root holoparasite Orobanche ramosa subsp. mutelii (Orobanchaceae) in South Australia. Austr. Journ. Bot. 63(5): 426-434.
Roucel F.A. (1792) Traité des plantes les moins fréquentes qui croissent naturellement dans les environs des villes de Gand, d'Alost, de Termonde & Bruxelles, rapportées sous les dénominations des Modernes et des Anciens, & arrangées suivant le système de Linnaeus, Paris, Chez MM. Bossange, Bruxelles, Chez Lemaire.
Sobrina Vesperinas E. (1982) Orobanche ramosa L., a new rapeseed parasite in southern Spain. Eucarp. Crucif. Newsl. 7: 76-77.
Stace C. (2010) New flora of the British Isles, 3th ed.: XXXII + 1232 p. Cambridge University Press.
Tison J.-M. & de Foucault B. (coord.) (2014) Flora Gallica. Flore de France. Editions Biotope, Mèze : xx + 1196 p.
Virtue J., Prider J., Williams A. (2014) Host range of branched broomrape (Orobanche ramosa subsp. mutelii) in South Australia. Plant Protection Quarterly 29(2): 46-54.
White H.L., Sammon J.G., Holmes W.C. & Singhurst J.R. (1998) Notes on the distribution of Orobanche ramosa L. and Orobanche uniflora L. (Orobanchaceae) in Texas. Phytologia 85(2): 121-124. [available online at: https://archive.org/stream/phytologia852glea/phytologia852glea_djvu.txt]