Mediterranean lineseed, Gallocresta

Description:

Flowering plant in the broomrape family (Orobanchaceae). It can reach over half a meter in height. Its foliage is green and dotted with glands and hairs. The sawtoothed leaves extend about halfway up the plant, the upper half of the stem being is occupied by a stout inflorescence. The inflorescence has rows of leaflike bracts, between which emerge showy purple and white lipped, hooded flowers, each over two centimeters wide. The flowers can also be yellow. The fruit is a smooth, green capsule.

Habitat:

Clearing in a Holm oak and pine tree forest

Notes:

Mediterranean lineseed, like other broomrapes, is parasitic; this species is hemiparasitic in that it is green and photosynthetic but also taps into the roots of other plants to extract nutrients.