Phelipanche

Phelipanche is a genus of parasitic flowering plants in the family Orobanchaceae. They are obligate root parasites that rely on a host plant for water and nutrients and lack functional chlorophyll. The genus has historically been treated as part of Orobanche, but is now recognized as a distinct group containing several broomrape species.

Plants in this genus emerge from the soil as leafless stems bearing small, tube-shaped flowers arranged in dense inflorescences. They attach to host roots with specialized structures called haustoria and obtain all resources from the host. Seeds are tiny and produced in large numbers, capable of persisting in soil for many years.

Phelipanche species are widespread, particularly in semi-arid and agricultural regions. They occur in Europe, the Mediterranean and Middle East, parts of Asia and Africa, and have spread with cultivation of susceptible crops. As obligate parasites, they cannot complete their life cycle without a host.

Economically, Phelipanche species are important pests of crops such as tomato, potato, pepper, eggplant, cucumber, sunflower, beans, and tobacco. Notable species include P. aegyptiaca (Egyptian broomrape) and P. ramosa (branched broomrape), each capable of causing serious yield losses and increasing production costs.

Management relies on integrated practices due to difficulty of chemical control. Strategies include sanitation to prevent seed spread, crop rotation and destruction of volunteer hosts, use of trap crops or resistant varieties where available, and soil solarization or pre-emergence herbicides in some systems.