20th May 2026

Common Broomrape

I stumbled upon this Common Broomrape (Orobanche minor) plant in the Miller Woodland Trust site in Chalkpit Lane today. It was the only one I could see and I haven't found it here before. It's a parasitic plant and relies on stealing nutrients from a host plant rather than manufacturing its own food through photosynthesis. Hence no green colour and no leaves. The host of this species is often clover and there was plenty of that around.