5 articles
Cistanche
Cistanche (desert hyacinth, desert ginseng; Rou Cong Rong) is a genus of holoparasitic Orobanchaceae desert plants from Macaronesia to China, used for millennia in herbal medicine, taxonomically confused, with C. deserticola CITES-listed and cultivated in Inner Mongolia.
Orobanchaceae
Orobanchaceae (broomrape family), Ventenat 1799, is the largest family of parasitic flowering plants in Lamiales, with over 2,000 species in about 90-115 genera, spanning non-parasitic, hemiparasitic, and holoparasitic members including Striga and Orobanche crop pests.
Rehmannia glutinosa
Rehmannia glutinosa (地黄, dihuang, Chinese foxglove) is a Chinese perennial herb whose tuberous root, used fresh, dried, or steamed, is a major traditional medicine; over 310 constituents including catalpol are documented.
Scrophularia
Scrophularia (figworts) is a genus of about 250-292 species in Scrophulariaceae, native to temperate Eurasia, Macaronesia, Africa, and North America; S. ningpoensis (Xuanshen) is a major traditional Chinese medicine root rich in iridoids.
Striga hermonthica
Striga hermonthica (purple witchweed), Orobanchaceae hemiparasitic annual weed native to Africa, parasitizes maize, sorghum, and millets via strigolactone-triggered germination and haustoria, causing 30–80% cereal yield losses across sub-Saharan Africa.