Orobanche coerulescens Stephan

Parasitic on species of Artemisia Linnaeus.

The whole plant is used medicinally for invigorating the kidneys and strengthening yang, relaxing the bowels, strengthening bones and muscles.

Plants with white-yellow flowers, which have been recognized as f. korshinskyi or var. albiflora, are distributed in Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Liaoning, and Nei Mongol, as well as in Europe, Mongolia, and Russia.

Herbs biennial, 15-40(-50) cm tall, densely villous. Stems erect, unbranched. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, 1.5-2 cm X 5-7 mm, along with bracts and calyx densely villous at margin and abaxially. Inflorescences 10-20 cm; bract similar to leaves; bractlets absent. Calyx 1.2-1.5 cm, 2-parted almost to base; segments divided to half; lobes narrowly lanceolate, 3-5 mm. Corolla dark blue, blue-purple, pale purple, or yellow, 2-2.5 cm; tube constricted, open upward; upper lip 2-lobed, rarely emarginate. Filaments 1.2-1.4 cm, usually villous; anthers ovoid, ca. 2 mm, glabrous. Pistil 1.5-1.7 cm; ovary ellipsoid. Style as long as filaments, usually glabrous; stigma 2-lobed. Capsule ovoid-oblong or oblong, ca. 10 X 4 mm. Seeds irregularly ellipsoid or long ovoid, ca. 0.3 mm. 2n = 38.

E. Europe, through C. Asia to Japan.

Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Hubei, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang, Yunnan [Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Russia, Turkmenistan; Europe].

2100-2700 m

Slopes, grasslands; 900-4000 m.

Orobanche ammophila C. A. Meyer; O. bodinieri H. Léveillé; O. canescens Bunge; O. coerulescens var. albiflora Kuntze; O. coerulescens f. korshinskyi (Novopokrovsky) Ma; O. coerulescens f. pekinensis Beck; O. korshinskyi Novopokrovsky; O. mairei H. Léveillé; O. japonensis Makino; O. nipponicaMakino; O. pycnostachya Hance var. yunnanensis Beck.