REVIEWS
REVIEWS Compiled by Clive Stace, Book Reviews Editor
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Broomrapes of Britain & Ireland. A Field Guide to the Holoparasitic Orobanchaceae
Chris Thorogood & Fred Rumsey Botanical Society of Britain and elrI and,SBB an H I dboNoko ,2 . am hruD ,1; 20 pp.+i 150,c. 120 phgrot aphs,18aps, m 42 black& etihw drawgs; ni sbk,£17.50. SBI N780 9 115859 09 8
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roomrapes (Orobanche and Phelipanche) are among the most fascinating and curious plants. They are beautiful, rare, interesting, and surrounded with mystery. Many field botanists avoid these parasitic plants because they are very difficult to identify. So it is very welcome that Chris Thorogood and Fred Rumsey have written one of the first books about these problematic genera, a comprehensive identification guide to the native and alien broomrapes of Britain and Ireland. The two British species of the related holoparasitic genus Lathraea (toothworts) are also included.
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BSBI NEWS 149 | January 2022
The book starts with several introductory chapters, where the family of the broomrapes (Orobanchaceae) is explained, including their taxonomy. Worldwide the family comprises about 90 genera and about 1,600 species of annual and perennial herbs and shrubs, since the holoparasitic genera in recent years have been merged with the semi-parasitic former Scrophulariaceae such as Euphrasia and Rhinanthus. There are probably about 150 species of Orobanche and Phelipanche worldwide. Especially in the last ten years, many new Orobanche species have been described, in particular from the Caucasus. A chapter is devoted to the hosts of these plants because as parasites broomrapes rely to a high degree on other plants. There are chapters about molecular phylogenetic analyses, life cycle and biology, habitats and ecology, taxonomic history, and the identification of the individual taxa. Also, and very important, a key to the species of Britain and Ireland is provided. Then there are the species accounts. Each taxon has six pages devoted to it, represented by a systematic part which comprises the English name, Latin name, conservation status, remarks, description, key distinguishing features, similar species, host, habitat and distribution and variation, along with a black and white drawing of the inflorescence and the curve of the corolla tube, which is a very important distinguishable
character. For each species a distribution map is given (5 km2 in three time periods, pre-1930, 1930–1999 and 2000–2020). The whole is complemented with on average five colour pictures. Most of the pictures are very good, but some could be better. The problem is that many were taken in full sunshine. As a result, the images are sometimes not entirely sharp, and the flowers often show harsh shadows. In such cases, it is better to use a flash to get the flowers sharper and more evenly lit. In the British Isles nine native species exist, including the commonest species, O. minor, which is represented by two subspecies and six varieties. In addition, the book gives details of four introduced species, such as O. crenata (an increasing pest of leguminous crops), and also the extinct Phelipanche ramosa. The book ends with a section about hybrids between Orobanche species, which are extremely difficult to identify (none has been confirmed for Britain), and with a glossary of terms, references and an index. The design of the book looks somewhat old fashioned. The text was clearly formatted by Microsoft Word, and the book would have looked more pleasing if more attention had been given to the layout. This could not have been an easy book to write, especially as only very few books exist about this genus. Let’s hope many botanists will buy it and that it will deepen the interest in this family.
Karel Kreutz
