Phelipanche ramosa

Piwowarczyk, Renata, Pedraja, Óscar Sánchez, Khutsishvili, Manana & Kharazishvili, Davit, 2023, Holoparasitic Orobanchaceae in Georgia (Caucasus): taxonomic revision, diversity, distribution, habitats and host range, Phytotaxa 604 (1), pp. 1-103 : 32

7. Phelipanche ramosa (L.) Pomel (1874: 103)

. Type:—EUROPE (lectotype designated by Foley 2001: 231):— Orobanche 2 [Europe, Netherlands, Hort. Cliff. 321] (BM000646204!). Basionym:— Orobanche ramosa Linnaeus (1753: 633) .

General distribution: —Widespread species of the Old World (Europe, North Africa, Asia Minor, the Caucasus to Central Asia) and naturalised on other continents (the Americas, while it still needs to be confirmed in southwestern Australia ( Carlón et al. 2005: 66, sub P. mutelii ).

Distribution: —Scattered localities in Adjara, Samtskhe-Javakheti and Tbilisi provinces ( Fig. 17 ). Probably more common, but due to the preferred cultivated hosts, it is overlooked.

Habitat: —In cultivated areas, mainly tobacco and tomato plantations. Cannot be ruled out in ruderal areas, gardens, as well as on ornamental and wild hosts.

Hosts: —In Georgia, parasitic almost exclusively on cultivated plants, here mainly on Nicotiana tabacum L. and Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. [ Solanum lycopersicum L.] ( Solanaceae ) (information on verified herbarium materials). Also collected from the Botanical Garden in Tbilisi, it requires confirmation, it may be parasitic there and in other gardens also on ornamental or wild plants.

Phenology: —Flowering (May), usually end of August–September, fruiting (August) September–October.

Conservation status: —In many parts of its general distribution, it is a noxious weed of important crops. Today perhaps only casual or near extinct in Georgia, requires targeted research.

Notes: —It is often confused with other Phelipanche species (e.g., P. nana , P. aegyptiaca , etc.), so its Georgian distribution needs to be revised.

Specimens examined:— GEORGIA. Adjara prov.: distr. Keda, vil. Dologani, in tobacco culture, 17 Aug 1982, Z. Chkhaidze & A. Dmytrieva (BATU); Samtskhe-Javakheti prov.: Tifl. distr., surroundings of Borjomi, near the village of Sadgeri, 17 June 1917, W. Kozlovsky (TBI); Tbilisi prov.: Tiflis, botanical garden, on Lycopersicon , 28 Aug 1922, E. Koenig (TBI) [as O. aegyptiaca ]; in humidis Georgiae caucas., May–Oct 1831, Hohenacker (L2816937) [as O. ramosa ].

Figures

FIGURE 17. Distribution of Phelipanche ramosa in Georgia.