About Aphyllon cooperi A.Gray
Aphyllon cooperi A.Gray, also widely known as Orobanche cooperi, is a broomrape species with multiple common names: Cooper's broomrape, desert broomrape, spike broomrape, and burroweed strangler. It is native to desert regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it grows as a parasite attached to the roots of other plants. It most often parasitizes members of the Asteraceae family, including genera such as Artemisia, Hymenoclea, Ambrosia and Encelia. While it is not typically considered a weed, it has been found growing as an infestation on agricultural cropland, including tomato fields in inland California. This plant grows from a thick root and a scaly, twisted stem base, and produces a thick, clumpy stem that can reach up to 40 centimeters tall. Because it gets all its nutrients from a host plant, it does not have leaves and does not produce chlorophyll. The plant is dark purple in color and covered with glandular hairs. Its inflorescence is an elongated cluster that holds several flowers. Each flower is tubular, purple, hairy, and grows up to around 3 centimeters long.
