Orobanche hederae Ivy Broomrape

Ivy Broomrape is one of the most common Broomrapes in Britain. Some of its most distictive features include its purple stem on which the dull-cream, purple-flushed flowers are produced almost from the base to the top of the stem and the stigma which is usually yellow. But, perhaps its most important feature, as its name suggests, is that it parasitises Ivy, particularly Atlantic Ivy (Hedera hibernica) or, occasionally, some of the cultivated members of the Araliaceae such as Fatsia. It prefers slightly shaded habitats where Ivy is dense, but it also grows on Ivy covered walls. Some evidence suggests that it is undergoing an expansion into urban habitats in Britian. In West Glamorgan it is most common along the coastal cliffs of south Gower but a small population has been known from the Llansywel area of Brition Ferry for more than 50 years.

Native