It is a species of broomrape known by the common name thistle broomrape.[2] It is a parasitic plant whose host is normally the creeping thistle. It is native to the lowlands of Western Europe and Central Asia, but in the United Kingdom it is a rare and protected plant, growing only in Yorkshire, on grassland sites such as Quarry Moor.
Orobanche reticulata was described by taxonomist Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Wallroth (Wallr.) in 1825.[3] Its usual host plant is creeping thistle.[2] It is a herbaceous and self-supporting plant with simple broad, scale-like leaves,[4] normally growing up to 70 centimetres (28 in),[2] and it flowers between May and July.[5] It is a tuberous perennial, a hermaphrodite plant which possibly germinates in the spring. It has a yellow-purple stem. The two-lipped flowers, measuring 15–25 mm (0.6–1 inch), have dark spots and purple stigmas. However, for full identification, the host must be noted.[6]
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