Phelypaea violacea Desf. , Fl. Atlant. 2: 60, t. 146 (1798) [basionym]. Orobanche violacea (Desf.) Wallr. , Orob. Gen. 70 (1825). Cistanche violacea (Desf.) Beck , Biblioth. Bot. 19: 267 (1890) A revision of the genus Cistanche (Orobanchaceae) in Israel, and considerations for its taxonomic circumscription in the Middle East Ben-Natan, Dar Thorogood, Chris PhytoKeys 2025 2025-08-01 260 213 236 VL8D (Desf.) Hoffmanns & Link Hoffmanns & Link 1813 Desf. Magnoliopsida Orobanchaceae Cistanche Plantae Lamiales Tracheophyta species violacea   ≡   Phelypaea violaceaDesf., Fl. Atlant. 2: 60, t. 146 (1798) [basionym].  ≡   Orobanche violacea(Desf.) Wallr., Orob. Gen. 70 (1825).  ≡   Cistanche violacea(Desf.) Beck, Biblioth. Bot. 19: 267 (1890), comb. superfl.   Description. A holoparasitic (achlorophyllous), glabrous herb. Plant robust, 10–80 cm, stem white to grey or purple, 10–20 mmin diameter, swollen at the base. Lower scales dense, constricted, entire, triangular, yellowish-white to dark grey, 5–10 × 5–10 mm. Middle and upper scales and floral bracts triangular-lanceolate, entire, scarious and strongly serrate along the margins, white or lilac to purple or dark purplish-brown, 7–15 × 15–30 mm. Inflorescence a dense spike, up to 30 cmlong, 5–15 cmin diameter. Floral bracts about as long as calyx or somewhat longer. Floral bracteoles 2, linear or lanceolate, obtuse, 2–6 × 10–22 mm, white, grey or purple, scarious and serrate along the margins, attached to the calyx base and equal or slightly shorter than calyx. Calyx tubular-campanulate, white, lilac, purple or purplish-brown, 10–22 mm. Calyx lobes 5, subequal, oblong-rounded, entire, scarious and serrate along the margins. The upper lobe is shorter than the rest by up to 3 mm. Corolla infundibuliform, pentamerous, 35–50 mm. Corolla tube white, with two well-pronounced, conspicuous yellow folds inside. Corolla tube arched beneath the middle. Inner tube more or less pubescent around the filament bases and glabrous elsewhere. Limb pale to deep purple-violet, 15–25 mmin diameter. Corolla lobes 5, rounded, equal or the upper ones slightly smaller than the other 3, usually wider than long. Stamens 4, inserted at the base of the tube, included. Filaments 18–21 mm, densely pubescent at the base and very sparsely, very short-pubescent or glabrous above. Anthers 2–3 × 4.5–5.5 mm, densely pilose, acuminate. Ovary ovate, 5–10 × 10–15 mm, white with a yellow ring at base. Stigma lobes whitish or yellowish. Capsules ovoid-globose, 12–20 × 15–20 mm, dark brown when dry, dehiscent with 2 (- 3–4) valves. Fl. February-April.   Habitat and prevalence.   C. violaceaoccurs on alluvial gravel and clay substrates (mostly loess and marl) in wadies along the Rift Valley from the Dead Sea to Eilat, in the eastern and southern Judean desert and rarely in the central Negev, and on stabilized or shallow sands over chalk in the western Negev desert. It is fairly common, though much less than  C. tubulosa, occurring often in mixed populations with the latter along the Rift Valley. Present also in SE Jordan(Dead Sea area, Arava Valley, Wadi Rum), and occasionally mistaken for  C. salsathere as well.    Host. Mostly  Anabasis articulata(Forssk.) Moq.and  Atriplex halimusL., more rarely observed on  Haloxylon negevensis(Iljin & Zohary) L. Boulos. Otherpossible hosts include  Tamarix nilotica(Erenb.) Bunge.and  Anabasis setiferaMoq. 1840.   Notes. Aside from coloration,  C. violaceacan be difficult to distinguish from  C. tubulosaand  C. tinctoria, which makes determination of dry herbarium specimen problematic. Moreover, in some mixed populations in the Rift Valley, morphological intermediates occur which are most likely hybrids of  C. violaceaand  C. tubulosa(Fig. 5 I), based on molecular work (in prep.). In the western Negev desert, however, populations appear to be distinct. Besides pigmentation and stature, the very well-pronounced yellow folds in the throat of the corolla and anther morphology proved to be important and useful diagnostic characteristics for  C. violacea– especially in dry specimens, both in the field and the herbarium.   Specimens examined.   Israel• Judean desert, Massada, 7. April. 1942. Zohary D.( HUJ 123604!);  Israel• Judean Desert, steppes, 4.1942, Issac Halevv( HUJ 123663!);  Israel• Dead sea area, Wadi Fuqra( Nahal Zin), 18. March. 1967. Avishai M.( HUJ 123601!, HUJ 123602!);  Israel• Judean desert, east of Arad, small wadi, 11. April. 1967. Kollman F.( HUJ 123600!);  Israel• Judean desert, btw. Mezad Zafit and Mezad Tamar, hard rock, 11. March. 1972. Zohary D.( HUJ 123603!);  Israel• Western Negev,  10 kmNNW from Nizzana, Nahal Lavan, sandy loess, 25. March. 1986. Danin A.( HUJ 123612!);  Israel• Hatzeva field school, 13. March. 1997. Pazy B.and Plitmann U.( HUJ 123606!);  Israel• Judean Desert, Nahal Metsada west of Metsada,  60 m, 21. February. 2012. Dar Ben-Natan( TELA 2076!);  Israel• West Negev, near Shivta, on route 211.  Mar. 2015. ( HUJ 133888!);  Israel• Judean Desert, Arad to Dead Sea road,  280 m, parasite on  Atriplex halimusL., together with  C. tubulosa(Schenk) Wight ex Hook.f. and possible intermediate forms, 3. March. 2015. Dar Ben-Natan( TELA 2077!)  Israel• northern Arava Valley, Idan reservoir,  180 m, together with  C. tubulosa(Schenk) Wight ex Hook.f. and possible intermediate forms between the two species, 19. March. 2019. Dar Ben-Natan( TELA 2072!);  Israel• western Negev desert, Nizzana, Han Nizzana yard, shallow sand over loam, coor  30°53'06.9"N, 34°25'29.3"E,  190 m, parasite on  Anabasis articulata(Forssk.) Moq. 12. March. 2020. Dar Ben-Natan( HUJ 133784!);  Israel• Dead Sea area, east of road 90, across from massada, white clay, together with  C. tubulosa(Schenk) Wight ex Hook. f., coor:  31°19'23.5"N, 35°23'11.3"E, -  380 m, some possibly parasitic on  Anabasis setiferaMoq., some on  Atriplex halimusL., containing fruiting capsules dehiscent by 3 and 4 valves,  7. May. 2021. Dar Ben-Natan( TELA 2799!);  Israel• Dead Sea area, estuary of Nahal Rahaf, western side of road 90, coor  31°17'14.9"N, 35°22'53.8"E, -  380 m, possibly parasitic on  Atriplex halimusL., containing fruiting capsules dehiscent by 4 valves  7. May. 2021. Dar Ben-Natan( TELA 27800!);  JORDAN,  40 kmS of Ma’an. “ Nubian sand ” fields.  18. Apr. 1929. A. Eigand M. Zohary( HUJ 123672!);  Sinai• Gebel el Tih, 110 kmS. of Nakhl, Badlands of Ghareb formation at the foot of Igma Plateau, 22. November. 1969. N. Tadmor( HUJ 123615!);  Sinai• w. foothills of Gebel Ya’allaq, wadi bed and terraces with variable sand cover of 0–50 cm, 20– 30. March. 1973. Corolla violet-white (not yellow), I. Noy-Meir( HUJ 123617!);  Sinai• N. Sinai, Umm Qataf,  2 kmnorth of Nizzana, sands covering limestone hill, 9. April. 1976. Avinoam Danin( HUJ 123616!). 5236566327 1942-04-07 HUJ Massada & Zohary D. Israel Judean desert Judean desert HUJ 123604 1 5236566352 steppes HUJ Issac Halevv Israel Judean Desert Judean Desert HUJ 123663 1 5236566317 1967-03-18 HUJ Avishai M. Israel Dead sea area Nahal Zin Wadi Fuqra HUJ 123601, HUJ 123602 1 5236566338 1967-04-11 HUJ Kollman F. Israel Judean desert east of Arad, small wadi HUJ 123600 1 5236566360 hard rock 1972-03-11 HUJ Zohary D. Israel Judean desert btw. Mezad Zafit and Mezad Tamar HUJ 123603 1 5236566333 sandy loess 1986-03-25 HUJ Danin A. Israel Western Negev Nahal Lavan Nizzana HUJ 123612 1 5236566330 1997-03-13 HUJ Pazy B. & Plitmann U. Israel Hatzeva field school HUJ 123606 1 5236566355 2012-02-21 TELA Dar Ben-Natan Israel Judean Desert 60 Nahal Metsada west of Metsada TELA 2076 1 5236566306 2015-03 HUJ Israel near Shivta, on route 211 West Negev HUJ 133888 1 5236566319 parasite on Atriplex halimus L., together with C. tubulosa (Schenk) Wight ex Hook. f. and possible intermediate forms 2015-03-03 TELA Dar Ben-Natan Israel Judean Desert 280 Arad to Dead Sea road TELA 2077 1 5236566350 together with C. tubulosa (Schenk) Wight ex Hook. f. and possible intermediate forms between the two species 2019-03-19 TELA Dar Ben-Natan Israel 180 Idan reservoir northern Arava Valley TELA 2072 1 5236566308 shallow sand over loam, parasite on Anabasis articulata (Forssk.) Moq. 2020-03-12 HUJ Dar Ben-Natan Israel western Negev desert 190 30.88525 Han Nizzana yard 1 34.42481 Nizzana HUJ 133784 1 5236566310 white clay, together with C. tubulosa (Schenk) Wight ex Hook. f., some possibly parasitic on Anabasis setifera Moq., some on Atriplex halimus L., containing fruiting capsules dehiscent by 3 and 4 valves 2021-05-07 TELA Dar Ben-Natan Israel Dead Sea area 380 31.323195 east of road 90, across from massada 1 35.386475 TELA 2799 1 5236566304 possibly parasitic on Atriplex halimus L., containing fruiting capsules dehiscent by 4 valves 2021-05-07 TELA Dar Ben-Natan Israel Dead Sea area 380 31.287472 estuary of Nahal Rahaf, western side of road 90 1 35.38161 TELA 27800 1 5236566312 1929-04-18 HUJ A. Eig & M. Zohary Jordan " Nubian sand " fields HUJ 123672 1 Ma'an 5236566354 1969-11-22 HUJ N. Tadmor Sinai Badlands of Ghareb formation at the foot of Igma Plateau Gebel el Tih, 110 km S. of Nakhl HUJ 123615 1 5236566353 wadi bed and terraces with variable sand cover of 0 - 50 cm 1973-03-30 HUJ I. Noy-Meir w. foothills of Gebel Ya'allaq Sinai HUJ 123617 1 5236566357 sands covering limestone hill 1976-04-09 HUJ Avinoam Danin Sinai Nizzana Umm Qataf HUJ 123616 1