Cistanche
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cistanche | |
|---|---|
_Negev.jpg) | |
| Cistanche tubulosa | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Orobanchaceae |
| Tribe: | Orobancheae |
| Genus: | Cistanche |
| Species | |
|
See Text | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Haemodoron Rchb. 1828 | |
Cistanche is a Eurasian and African genus of holoparasitic desert plants in the family Orobanchaceae. They lack chlorophyll and obtain nutrients and water from the host plants whose roots they parasitize. They are often known as desert hyacinths.[1]
Species
There are between 20 and 30 species of Cistanche. The most comprehensive description of the genus was published in 1930.[2] The taxonomy is difficult because important features of the flowers are often poorly preserved after drying. The plants are found from the Mediterranean region, North Africa, Middle East through to China. The species of Cistanche are parasitic plants that connect to the conductive system of a host, extracting water and nutrients from the roots of the host plant.[1]
Species as according to Plants of the World Online as of January 2024[update]:[3]
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| Cistanche aethiopica Beck | NW. Ethiopia | |
| Cistanche afghanica Gilli | SE. Afghanistan | |
| Cistanche armena (K.Koch) M.V.Agab. | Transcaucasus | |
| Cistanche christisonioides Beck | Pakistan | |
| Cistanche compacta (Viv.) Bég. & A.Vacc. | NE. Libya | |
,_паразитує_на_коренях_саксаулів_(Halóxylon),_Гобі.jpg) | Cistanche deserticola Ma | China (Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang), Mongolia |
| Cistanche feddeana K.S.Hao | Mongolia, China (Sichuan) | |
| Cistanche fissa (C.A.Mey.) Beck | Israel to Central Asia | |
| Cistanche flava (C.A.Mey.) Korsh. | Iran, Kazakhstan, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan | |
| Cistanche lanzhouensis Z.Y.Zhang | E. & S. Mongolia to N. China. | |
| Cistanche laxiflora Aitch. & Hemsl. | Afghanistan, Iran | |
 | Cistanche lutea (Desf.) Hoffmanns. & Link | Algeria, Morocco, Oman, Spain |
| Cistanche mauritanica (Coss. & Durieu) Beck | Algeria, Morocco | |
| Cistanche mongolica Beck | Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Tadzhikistan, Uzbekistan, China (Xinjiang) | |
 | Cistanche phelypaea (L.) Cout. | Algeria, Benin, Canary Is., Cape Verde, Chad, Cyprus, Egypt, Italy, Kriti, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Portugal, Selvagens, Senegal, Spain, Sudan, Tunisia, Western Sahara |
| Cistanche ridgewayana Aitch. & Hemsl. | Afghanistan, Iran, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan | |
| Cistanche rosea Baker | Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen | |
 | Cistanche salsa (C.A.Mey.) Beck | Afghanistan, China (Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia), Russia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Mongolia, Qinghai, Tadzhikistan, Transcaucasus, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan |
| Cistanche sinensis Beck | China (Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang) | |
| Cistanche speciosa Butkov | Uzbekistan | |
| Cistanche stenostachya Butkov | Uzbekistan | |
| Cistanche trivalvis (Trautv.) Korsh. | Turkmenistan | |
 | Cistanche tubulosa (Schenk) Wight ex Hook.f. | Afghanistan, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gulf States, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Mozambique, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sinai, Socotra, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Turkmenistan, Yemen |
 | Cistanche violacea (Desf.) Hoffmanns. & Link | Algeria, Chad, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sinai, Tunisia, Western Sahara |
Growth
They typically grow in desert or sand dune areas Growing in arid regions, where their flower spikes that emerge from bare ground are the only evidence of the presence of the plants. They do not have leaves and do not perform photosynthesis.[1]
Some species of Cistanche are native to the Taklimakan desert region of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region northwest China where they grow on desert host plants tamarix and Haloxylon ammodendron.[4]
