Aphyllon epigalium subsp. notocalifornicum

Galium broomrape, Galium Broomrape, Southern California galium broomrape

Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Galium broomrape is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native annual found in open forest understories at elevations of 1,200 to 1,500 meters. Flowering from June to July, this plant produces delicate straw-colored flowers occasionally tinged with pink, with a prominently arched corolla tube and erect lobes. Growing as a parasitic plant with no true leaves, it attaches to host plants in forest understories. Its distinctive corolla is 13 to 20 millimeters long, with lobes twice as long as they are wide, presenting a unique horizontal orientation. This specialized annual represents an intriguing example of parasitic plant adaptation in California's forest ecosystems.

Habitat: Open forest understory, on

Bloom period: Jun-Jul

Elevation: 1200-1500 m

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