Flora of Israel: Orobanche crenata

Orobanche crenata, Scalloped Broomrape,
Hebrew: עלקת חרוקה, Arabic: جعفيل مفرّض, Egypt: هالوك ميتابي “Halouk Metabi”, “Diker El Foul”


Scientific name:		Orobanche crenata Forssk.
Common name:		Scalloped Broomrape
Hebrew name:		עלקת חרוקה
Arabic name:		جعفيل مفرّض
Egypt:		هالوك ميتابي “Halouk Metabi”, “Diker El Foul”
Family:		Orobanchaceae, עלקתיים


Life form:		Parasite
Leaves:		Alternate, scale
Flowers:		Pink, white, yellow
Flowering Period:		February, March, April, May
Habitat:		Cultivated areas
Distribution:		Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands
Chorotype:		Med – Irano-Turanian
Summer shedding:		Ephemeral

Derivation of the botanical name:

Orobanche, Greek orobos, a kind of vetch; anchone, choke, strangle; this was the Greek name of a plant that was parasitic on vetch.

crenata, Latin crena, notch; atus, ata, adjectival suffix for nouns:likeness of something; notched.
broomrape, broom +‎ rape, part translation of species name Orobanche rapum-genistae, where Latin rapum actually means turnip, not rape. Broomrape, any of various plants, of the genus Orobanche, that are parasitic on the roots of other plants.
The Hebrew name: Alkat, עלקת, is derived from the name of the parasitic animal leech, עלוקה, aluka.

The standard author abbreviation Forssk. is used to indicate Peter Forsskål (1732 – 1763), a Swedish explorer, orientalist and naturalist.

_{Location: Bene Zion Nature Reserve}