Code
STRGE
Growth form
Parasite
Biological cycle
Annual
Habitat
Terrestrial
Striga gesnerioides (Willd.) Vatke
synonym | Buchnera gesnerioides Willd. |
synonym | Buchnera hydrabadensis Roth |
synonym | Buchnera orobanchioides R. Br. |
synonym | Campuleia coerulea Boj. ex Benth. |
synonym | Campuleia rosea Boj. ex Benth. |
synonym | Harveya varia (E. Mey. ex Drege) Hook. ex Steud. |
synonym | Microsyphus parviflorus Presl |
synonym | Orobanche indica Spreng. |
synonym | Orobanche varia E.Mey. ex Steud. |
synonym | Striga chloroleuca Dinter |
synonym | Striga orchidea Benth. |
synonym | Striga orobanchoides (R. Br.) Benth. |
No Data |
Global description
Striga gesnerioides is an erect plant attached by a sucker (haustorium) to a root of the host. The leaves are few and reduced, subopposite, lanceolate and glabrous. The flowers, arranged in long terminal spike, are pink or cream-white, comprising a calyx with 5 teeth, a corolla with a long and narrow tube, bent at the top and terminated by 5 unequal lobes. The 4 stamens have anthers with a single lodge. The fruit is a dehiscent capsule with many tiny and striated seeds.
Seedling
The underground stem grows vertically from a rounded bulge (haustorium) attached to a root of the host plant. The stem is cylindrical, white in color. It has opposite leaves, reduced to scales 1 to 2 mm long. At emergence, the leaves grow slightly longer. They are lanceolate and sessile, a few millimeters long. They are hairless, with a few short hairs along the margin.
General habit
The plant is erect and often branched at the base, allowing the development in tuft of several erect axes, but these axes are generally very little branched in the upper part. The plant is 10 to 30 cm tall.
Underground system
The roots are fasciculate, developing from the haustorium attached to a root of the host plant.
Stem
The stem is sub-cylindrical, thick and fleshy. It is crossed by two longitudinal furrows. It is almost glabrous, white at the base and then becomes pale green. It blackens as it dries.
Leaf
The leaves are subopposite, they are few, simple and sessile. The blade is lanceolate, 4 to 10 mm long and 1 to 3 mm wide. Both sides are glabrous. The margin is entire, slightly sinuous and finely ciliated. The leaves are green in color but becoming black when drying.
Inflorescence
The flowers are axillary, subopposite and arranged in long terminal spikes.
Flower
Each flower is sessile and subtended by 2 leaf shaped, linear bracts, 3 to 5 mm long. The calyx is 5 to 6 mm long. It is composed of 5 sepals welded in section at the base and ending at the top in a pointed tooth. It is covered with a short pubescence. The corolla is formed of 5 petals welded in tube 10 mm long and narrow. This tube is bent at the top and then separates into 5 rounded lobes of unequal size. The corolla is pale pink to creamy white. The 4 stamens are inserted into the corolla tube. The anthers comprise a single lodge. The ovary is surmounted by a filiform style that does not exceed the tube of the corolla.
Fruit
The fruit is a dehiscent, obovoid capsule, 4 mm long. It is surmounted by the style. It contains many seeds and opens in 2 valves at maturity.
Seed
The seeds are extremely small, they are 0.3 mm long. They are of obconic form, with the tegument striated.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Northern Cameroon: Striga gesnerioides is a species visible in the middle and at the end of the crop cycle, but its germination takes place in June or early July. This germination is followed by an underground development period of 3 to 4 weeks. The plant emerges late July-early August. Flowering occurs very quickly, from August and extends until October. Fruiting and seed dispersal are themselves staggered from September to December. The plant blackens and dries out in December at the beginning of the dry season or can last until the next season.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Striga gesnerioides is an annual species or a short-lived perennial species. It multiplies by seeds. It is a practically holoparasite species that grows on the roots of various plants belonging to the families of Fabaceae, Convolvulaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Solanaceae. The most parasitized crops are cowpea, sweet potato and tobacco.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Distinctive characters of some species of Striga spp.
Habit | Height | Bract | Calyx | Flower color | Corolla tube | Species |
Candelstick with few leaves | 10-30 cm | 3-5 mm long, linear | 5 nervs | pale pink white cream |
bent upper than the calyx edge | Striga gesnerioides |
Candelstick with well developped leaves |
7-30 cm | 8 mm long, linear | 10 nervs | red yellow white |
bent upper than the calyx edge | Striga asiatica |
Candelstick with well developped leaves |
15-50 cm | longer than the calyx, lanceolate | 5 nervs | pink | bent at the calyx edge | Striga hermonthica |
Candelstick with well developped leaves |
15-45 cm | 3 mm long, linear | 10 nervs | pink white |
bent upper than the calyx edge | Striga aspera |
Candelstick with well developped leaves |
30-40 cm | 30 mm long | 10 nervs | yellowish white cream |
curve inflated | Striga passargei |
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Northern Cameroon: Striga gesnerioides grows mainly in the Sahelo-Sudanian zone with an annual rainfall of between 600 and 900 mm. It is a heliophilous species, which grows on shallow, sandy, stony or rocky outcrops, such as fersialitic soils, ferruginous soils on cuirass or poorly evolved soils. It is a parasitic species that grows at the expense of some crops, including cowpea and many wild species.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Worldwide distribution
This species is widespread in tropical Africa to South Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and India.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Local harmfulness
Northern Cameroon: Striga gesnerioides is a minor weed that is still infrequent in cultivated plots, although it may be locally abundant.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
- Hoffmann G., 1994. Contribution à l'étude des phanérogames parasites du Burkina-Faso et du Mali : Quelques aspects de leur écologie, biologie et techniques de lutte. Thèse Univ. Aix-Marseille III. Faculté des Sciences et Techniques de Saint-Jérme éd., France, 177 p. + annexes.
- Dembélé B., Raynal-Roques A., Sallé G. & Tuquet C., 1994. Plantes parasites des cultures et des essences forestières au sahel. Institut du sahel, Bamako, Mali, 43p.
- Akobundu I.O. & Agyakwa C.W., 1989. Guide des adventices d'Afrique de l'Ouest. Institut international d'agriculture tropicale. Ibadan, Nigeria, 521p.
- Ivens G. W., 1989. East African Weeds and Their Control. Oxford University Press, Nairobi, Kenya, 289p.
- Ivens G. W., Moody K. & Egunjobi J. K., 1978. West African Weeds. Oxford University Press, Ibadan, Nigeria, 255p.
- Le Bourgeois, T. and H. Merlier (1995). Adventrop - Les adventices d'Afrique soudano-sahélienne. Montpellier, France, Cirad.
- Berhaut J., 1967. Flore du Sénégal. 2ème éd. Clairafrique éd., Dakar, Sénégal, 485p.
- Hutchinson J., Dalziel J. M., Keay R. W. J. & Hepper F. N., 1963. Flora of West Tropical Africa. Vol. II. 2ème éd. The Whitefriars Press ed., London & Tonbridge, 544p.
- Akoégninou, A., W. J. van der Burg and L. G. van der Maesen (2006). Flore analytique du Bénin. Cotonou, Bénin, Wageningen, Pays-Bas, Backhuis Publishers.
- Hoffmann G., 1994. Contribution à l'étude des phanérogames parasites du Burkina-Faso et du Mali : Quelques aspects de leur écologie, biologie et techniques de lutte. Thèse Univ. Aix-Marseille III. Faculté des Sciences et Techniques de Saint-Jérme éd., France, 177 p. + annexes.
- Dembélé B., Raynal-Roques A., Sallé G. & Tuquet C., 1994. Plantes parasites des cultures et des essences forestières au sahel. Institut du sahel, Bamako, Mali, 43p.
- Akobundu I.O. & Agyakwa C.W., 1989. Guide des adventices d'Afrique de l'Ouest. Institut international d'agriculture tropicale. Ibadan, Nigeria, 521p.
- Ivens G. W., 1989. East African Weeds and Their Control. Oxford University Press, Nairobi, Kenya, 289p.
- Ivens G. W., Moody K. & Egunjobi J. K., 1978. West African Weeds. Oxford University Press, Ibadan, Nigeria, 255p.
- Le Bourgeois, T. and H. Merlier (1995). Adventrop - Les adventices d'Afrique soudano-sahélienne. Montpellier, France, Cirad.
- Berhaut J., 1967. Flore du Sénégal. 2ème éd. Clairafrique éd., Dakar, Sénégal, 485p.
- Hutchinson J., Dalziel J. M., Keay R. W. J. & Hepper F. N., 1963. Flora of West Tropical Africa. Vol. II. 2ème éd. The Whitefriars Press ed., London & Tonbridge, 544p.
- Akoégninou, A., W. J. van der Burg and L. G. van der Maesen (2006). Flore analytique du Bénin. Cotonou, Bénin, Wageningen, Pays-Bas, Backhuis Publishers.
Herbarium pictures ReCOLNAT: https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Striga%2520gesnerioides
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Root | Root |
Kingdom | Plantae |
Phylum | Tracheophyta |
Class | Magnoliopsida |
Order | Lamiales |
Family | Orobanchaceae |
Genus | Striga |
Species | Striga gesnerioides (Willd.) Vatke |