North Carolina Wildflowers, Shrubs, & Trees

by Jeffrey S. Pippen | Back to Jeff's Plant Page | Jeff's Nature Pages


Orobanchaceae

Squaw-root (Conopholis americana) Squaw-root (Conopholis americana)
Buncombe Co., NC
29 Apr 2006

Also known as American Cancer-root, this plant is parasitic on oaks and other hardwood tree roots. Since it obtains all of its food from that source, it has lost the ability to perform photosynthesis over thousands of years of evolution by natural selection.

Squaw-root (Conopholis americana) Squaw-root (Conopholis americana)
Buncombe Co., NC
29 Apr 2006

Annotated habitat and distribution information listed above is from Radford, Ahles, & Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. UNC Press; and from personal observations and discussions with Will Cook, Harry LeGrand, and Bob Wilbur. Common names from personal experience and supplemented by the following resources USDA plants website, Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia, and NatureServe.


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Created on May 9, 2006 | jeffpippen9@gmail.com