Aphyllon cooperi

Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Cooper's broomrape is a California native parasitic perennial found on sandy flats and washes throughout low elevation areas from sea level to 1,500 meters. Flowering from January to May, this plant produces purple flowers 18 to 32 millimeters long with distinctive glandular hairs. Growing 10 to 40 centimeters tall with a dark purple above-ground portion, it often forms large clumps with stout stems. Its flowers feature asymmetrical lips, with upper lobes 6 to 10 millimeters long that are notably longer than the lower lips. The plant occasionally develops a unique coral-like root attachment and is characterized by its glandular-puberulent texture.

Habitat: Sandy flats, washes, on Asteraceae (generally

Bloom period: Jan-May

Elevation: -30-1500 m

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.