Meadow Orobanche Seeds (Orobanche uniflora)

The most mysterious of prairie wildflowers Burdened with various unflattering alternative common names, this is among the most enchanting and mysterious of North American wildflowers. Leafless and non-photosynthetic, Meadow Orobanche is a parasitic plant, a species that attaches itself to the root system of a host plant (via root-like haustoria), drawing upon borrowed nutrients to grow into a kind of small tuber, hidden within the soil; flowering only once in its life before dying. Nobody really knows how long this lifespan is. A year? Two years? The tiny, dust like seeds of this plant are perhaps scattered on the winds, landing in countless locations where they might lay dormant, perhaps for years, before germinating.  How and when Meadow Orobanche finds and attaches to a host is a mystery. It is thought, (but not certain) that the roots of suitable host plants emit chemical clues triggering nearby Orobanche seeds to germinate. There may further be fungal intermediaries that facilita