Cowpea Witchweed
Striga gesnerioides
- Native to:
- Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, India, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Socotra, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Nativeplants garden
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Orobanchaceae
- Genus:
- Striga
- Species:
- Striga gesnerioides
- USDA Symbol:
- STGE2
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Forb/herb
- Height:
- 30 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun
- Drought Tolerance:
- High
- Bloom Months:
- jul,aug,sep,oct
- Bloom Colors:
- white, pink, purple
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- sandy, nutrient-poor, well-drained soil
- pH:
- 5.5 - 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- excellent drainage required
- Moisture:
- dry to moderate
- Notes:
- parasitic on roots of host plants
Propagation & Germination
- Notes:
- Obligate root parasite; seeds require host root exudates (strigolactones) to trigger germination. Will not germinate without chemical signals from a suitable host plant.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI