Native Plants
Plant Database
Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.
Cressler, Alan
Conopholis americana
Conopholis americana (L.) Wallr.
American Cancer-root, Squawroot
Orobanchaceae (Broom-Rape Family)
Synonym(s): Orobanche americana
USDA Symbol: coam
USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
A parasitic plant with yellowish to cream-colored flowers emerging among lanceolate or ovate, pointed, yellow-tan scales on upper part of a fleshy stalk.
This plant resembles a pinecone as it becomes dry and brown with age. A parasite, it gets its nourishment from the roots of oaks, its host trees. A closely related species, Alpine Squawroot (C. alpina), occurs from the southwestern United States down to Oaxaca in southern Mexico.
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Herb
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Up to about 8 inches tall.
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: YellowBloom Time: Feb , Mar , Apr , May , Jun
Distribution
USA: AL , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KY , MA , MD , ME , MI , MS , NC , NH , NJ , NY , OH , PA , RI , SC , TN , VA , VT , WI , WVCanada: NS
Native Distribution: Manitoba east to Nova Scotia, south to Florida, west to Mississippi, and north to Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin.
Native Habitat: Woods, under oaks.
Benefit
Conspicuous Flowers: yesWeb Reference
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter
Additional resources
USDA: Find Conopholis americana in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Conopholis americana in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Conopholis americana
Metadata
Record Modified: 2023-04-25Research By: TWC Staff