Orobanche coelestis (Reuter) Boissier & Reuter ex Beck

Very much like Orobanche hirtiflora (Reut.) Burkill, but flowers violet, smaller with short, obtuse or subrounded corolla lobes.

Parasitic on species of Centaurea Linnaeus, Eryngium Linnaeus, Micromeria Bentham, Phlomis Linnaeus, Tanacetum Linnaeus, and Thymus Linnaeus.

Biennial or perennial (?), usually simple with short, subrounded, thickened base; spikes up to 20 cm long; bracts shorter to nearly equalling the calyx, lanceolate; bracteoles free, linear, ± as long as the calyx. Calyx ± shorter than the corolla-tube; segments or teeth longer than the tube, subulate-filiform. Corolla 18-20 mm long, tubulose, erect to slightly curved, puberulous, villaceous, somewhat constricted above the ovary at the insertion point of stamens, slightly inflated below; lobes short, subrounded, obtuse, densely ciliate at the margins. Capsule 6-7 mm long, ovoid, stigma hardly bilobed, short.

Herbs biennial, 15-40 cm tall. Stems unbranched, white glandular pubescent, glabrescent upward. Leaves ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, 1-1.5 cm. Inflorescences spicate, 6-18 cm; bract ovate-lanceolate, 0.8-1.8 cm, along with bractlets, calyx, and corolla glandular pubescent abaxially; bractlets narrowly lanceolate or linear, shorter than calyx, subsessile or short pedicelled. Calyx short campanulate, 1-1.5 cm, 4-lobed; lobes narrowly lanceolate, ca. 2/3 as long as calyx. Corolla blue, tubular; tube slightly whitish, pubescent adaxially, 1.8-2.6 cm; upper lip 2-lobed; lower lip longer than upper. Stamens pubescent basally, sparsely glandular pubescent upward, rarely glabrous; anthers sparsely villous, base mucronate. Ovary ellipsoid-globose. Style short, glandular pubescent; stigma 2-lobed. Capsule ellipsoid-globose, 0.9-1.1 cm. Seeds ellipsoid or globose, 0.4-0.6 mm. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Jun-Sep.

Distribution: Mediterranean region, Turkey to Iran, Pakistan and C. Asia.

Fl.Per.: June July.

S Xinjiang [S Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; SW Asia, Europe].

Phelipaea coelestis Reuter in A. de Candolle, Prodr. 11: 5. 1847; Orobanche coelestis f. persia Beck; O. heldreichii (Reuter) Beck; Phelipaea heldreichii Reuter; Phelipanche coelestis (Reuter) Soják.