Cistanche

Cistanche is a worldwide genus of holoparasitic desert plants in the family Orobanchaceae. They lack chlorophyll and obtain nutrients and water from the host plants whose roots they parasitize. They are often known as desert hyacinths.

Taxonomy

There are between 20 and 30 species of Cistanche. The most comprehensive description of the genus was published in 1930. The taxonomy is difficult because important features of the flowers are often poorly preserved after drying. The plants are found from the Mediterranean region, North Africa, Middle East through to China. The species of Cistanche are parasitic plants that connect to the conductive system of a host, extracting water and nutrients from the roots of the host plant.

Species

Species as according to Plants of the World Online since January 2024Template:Dated maintenance category (articles):

Image	Scientific Name	Distribution
	Cistanche aethiopica Template:Au	NW. Ethiopia
	Cistanche afghanica Template:Au	SE. Afghanistan
	Cistanche armena Template:Au	Transcaucasus
	Cistanche christisonioides Template:Au	Pakistan
	Cistanche compacta Template:Au	NE. Libya
File:Рідкісна рослина-паразит Цістанхе (Cistanche deserticola), паразитує на коренях саксаулів (Halóxylon), Гобі.jpg	Cistanche deserticola Template:Au	China (Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang), Mongolia
	Cistanche feddeana Template:Au	Mongolia, China (Sichuan)
	Cistanche fissa Template:Au	Israel to Central Asia
	Cistanche flava Template:Au	Iran, Kazakhstan, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
	Cistanche lanzhouensis Template:Au	E. & S. Mongolia to N. China.
	Cistanche laxiflora Template:Au	Afghanistan, Iran
File:Cistanche lutea 25439830.jpg	Cistanche lutea Template:Au	Algeria, Morocco, Oman, Spain
	Cistanche mauritanica Template:Au	Algeria, Morocco
	Cistanche mongolica Template:Au	Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Tadzhikistan, Uzbekistan, China (Xinjiang)
File:Cistanche phelypaea40935.JPG	Cistanche phelypaea Template:Au	Algeria, Benin, Canary Is., Cape Verde, Chad, Cyprus, Egypt, Italy, Kriti, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Portugal, Selvagens, Senegal, Spain, Sudan, Tunisia, Western Sahara
	Cistanche ridgewayana Template:Au	Afghanistan, Iran, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
	Cistanche rosea Template:Au	Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
File:Cistanche salsa; Baikonur 01.jpg	Cistanche salsa Template:Au	Afghanistan, China (Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia), Russia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Mongolia, Qinghai, Tadzhikistan, Transcaucasus, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
	Cistanche sinensis Template:Au	China (Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang)
	Cistanche speciosa Template:Au	Uzbekistan
	Cistanche stenostachya Template:Au	Uzbekistan
	Cistanche trivalvis Template:Au	Turkmenistan
File:יחנוק המדבר.jpg	Cistanche tubulosa Template:Au	Afghanistan, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gulf States, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Mozambique, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sinai, Socotra, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Turkmenistan, Yemen
File:Cistanche cf. violacea - Flickr - gailhampshire.jpg	Cistanche violacea Template:Au	Algeria, Chad, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sinai, Tunisia, Western Sahara

Growth

They typically grow in desert or sand dune areas Growing in arid regions, where their flower spikes that emerge from bare ground are the only evidence of the presence of the plants. They do not have leaves and do not perform photosynthesis.

Some species of Cistanche are native to the Taklimakan desert region of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region northwest China where they grow on desert host plants tamarix and Haloxylon ammodendron.

Uses

Along with other members of the genus, Cistanche deserticola is the primary source of the Chinese herbal medicine cistanche (Chinese: 肉苁蓉, pinyin ròucōngróng). The main sources of cistanche are Cistanche salsa and Cistanche deserticola, although it may also be obtained from Cistanche tubulosa, Cistanche sinensis, and Cistanche ambigua. The drug, known in Chinese as suosuo dayun, is collected in spring before sprouting, by slicing the stems of the plant. Cistanche deserticola has been placed on CITES Appendix 2, a list of endangered species not banned from trade but requiring monitoring. With increased consumption of cistanche, the population of the species has decreased and its area of distribution has shrunk. Aside from over-collection or indiscriminate collection, an important factor in the diminished supply of cistanche is a loss of the host, Haloxylon ammodendron, which is widely used for firewood.

External links

• Template:Sister-inline
• Template:Sister-inline