Bartsia trixago

Bartsia trixago is a common annual plant on roads and ditches (rare in crops) native to circum-Mediterranean Europe and North Africa.

Description

It is a hemiparasitic plant -of roots and without a specific host-, in grasslands and drylands. The most striking thing about its inflorescence is the bilabiate corolla, which can be discoloured, and its large bracts. Its flowers can vary from white to pink tones, but it is common to find specimens with completely yellow flowers, which can be confused with Parentucellia viscosa, with a very similar appearance.

It reaches up to 70 cm in height, but normally it does not exceed 40-50 cm. The stems are erect, simple or slightly branched. The leaves (14)20–60(73) by (2)4–9(12) mm, opposite, amplexicaul, erect–patent, straight or curved, linear or linear–lanceolate, remotely serrate, strigose. The inflorescence measures 2–16 cm, in a spiciform, dense cluster and the bracts up to 25 by 8(12) mm, with a very dense indument, the lower ones foliaceous, the upper ones entire, ovate, cordate. The flowers are zygomorphic, hermaphroditic, pentamerous, subsessile with a 4–10 mm calyx, ventricose, divided into 2 bilobed lateral lips and one with a 10–20 mm corolla, bilabiate, puberulent–glandulous, white with pink or yellow tones, with a lip. upper galeate and tube 8–10 mm, longer than calyx. The fruit is a capsule of 6–12 by 4–6 mm, ovoid, hairy with seeds of 0.6–0.7 by 0.4–0.5 mm, somewhat reniform, light-brown, almost pink. The number of chromosomes is 2n = 24.

Distribution and habitat

This species of circum-Mediterranean origin has been introduced to America, Australia and South Africa. It has also come to colonize the Canary Islands and Madeira, probably as an invasive alien species.

It has great edaphic indifference, since it is linked to the presence of plants that it parasitizes, which will be the only requirement for its establishment. But it shows a certain predilection for basic soils, limestone and gypsum areas. We can find it in ephemeral grasslands and pastures, ditches and scrub clearings, sometimes with a certain ruderal behavior.

It grows from sea level to 1300 meters, occupying the thermo and mesomediterranean levels. Dry ombroclimate.

Taxonomy

Bassimo

Bartsia trixago L., Species Plantarumvol. 2, p. 602-603, 1753[2]

Sinonimia

• Alectorolophus trixago (L.) M.Bieb.
• Bicolored barbeque DC.
• Bartsia capensis (L.) Spreng.
• Maximum Bartsia (Willd.) Pers.
• Bartsia rhinanthoids Hochst. ex Benth.
• Bartsia versicolor (Willd.) Pers.
• Bellardia trixago (L.) All.
• Euphrasia trixago (L.)
• Euphrasia versicolor (Willd.) Bubani
• Glossostylis abyssinica Hochst. ex A.DC.
• Rhinanthus capensis L.
• Rhinanthus maximus Willd.
• Rhinanthus trixago (L.) L.
• Rhinanthus versicolor Willd.
• Trixago apula Steven

Common names

Castellano: bunny, rooster.