Invasiveness Assessment - Broomrape (Orobanche ramosa) in Victoria
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Plant invasiveness is determined by evaluating a plant’s biological and ecological characteristics against criteria that encompass establishment requirements, growth rate and competitive ability, methods of reproduction, and dispersal mechanisms.
| Each characteristic, or criterion, is assessed against a list of intensity ratings. Depending upon information found, a rating of Low, Medium Low, Medium High or High is assigned to that criterion. Where no data is available to answer a criterion, a rating of medium (M) is applied. A description of the invasiveness criteria and intensity ratings used in this process can be viewed here. |
The following table provides information on the invasiveness of Broomrape.
A more detailed description of the methodology of the Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method can be viewed below:
Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method (PDF - 630 KB)
Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method (DOC - 1026 KB)
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Common Name: Broomrape
Scientific name: Orobanche ramosa
| Question | Comments | Reference | Rating |
| Establishment | |||
| Germination requirements? | Broom rape seeds are triggered to germinate by the presence of roots of certain plants. | Under Control No. 11 (Dec 1999) | M |
| Establishment requirements? | Small plant, which can establish under broad-leaved crops and amongst pasture paddocks therefore under moderate canopy. | Carter & Caske (1994) Muenscher (1995) | MH |
| How much disturbance is required? | Can establish in vigorously growing crops (e.g. hemp, tobacco, and tomato). AS WELL AS in established pastures (especially clover). | Muenscher (1995) Tuhn et al (1972) | MH |
| Growth/Competitive | |||
| Life form? | Parasite. Other. | Muenscher (1995) | L |
| Allelopathic properties? | No reference to Allelopathic properties. |  | L |
| Tolerates herb pressure? | Plant may be consumed by herbivores, but would recover quickly, as most of its life cycle is completed underground. | Animal & Plant Control Commission (Dec 1999) | MH |
| Normal growth rate? | Other Orobanche species are common weeds, e.g. Orobanche minor. | Webb et al (1988) US Dept. of AG. (1970) | MH |
| Stress tolerance to frost, drought, w/logg, sal. etc? | Tolerates drought (occurs in Iran, Iraq: sandy soils), and frost (occurs in Nepal and at high elevations). Also, presumably tolerates fire, as occurs beneath soil surface. | GRIN database Holm et al (1979) | MH |
| Reproduction | |||
| Reproductive system | Sexual (seeds) and vegetative (suckers). | Muenscher (1995) Collin (1999)-CAB | H |
| Number of propagules produced? | A single capsule can contain 600-800 seeds with a plant producing up to 500,000 seeds. (20,000). | Animal & Plant Control Commission (Dec 1999) | H |
| Propagule longevity? | Seeds remain viable for 10-20 years. | Carter & Cooke (1994) | MH |
| Reproductive period? | Perennial species assumed to produce viable propagules for > 10 years, as long as host plants are available. | Tutin et al (1972) | M |
| Time to reproductive maturity? | ~61 days (diagram of life cycle in reference) – 45 days. | Animal & Plant Control Commission (Dec 1999) | H |
| Dispersal | |||
| Number of mechanisms? | Seeds 0.3 mm, also described as ‘dust-sized’. Easily carried as dust on subterranean clover seed. | Muenscher (1995) NSW Dept. of AG. (1962) | H |
| How far do they disperse? | As seeds dust-sized very likely to disperse > 1 km. | NSW Dept. of AG. (1962) | H |
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