E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Boschniakia rossica (Cham. & Schltdl.) Fedtsch.
northern groundcone
Orobanchaceae (Broom-rape family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Ian Gardiner  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #24320)

E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Boschniakia rossica
Click here to view our interactive map and legend
Details about map content are available here
Click on the map dots to view record details.

Species Information

Click on the image below to view an expanded illustration for this species.



General:
Parasitic herb from a coarse fleshy root and thickened stem base; stems single or clustered, short glandular-hairy, stout, up to 1.5 cm thick above, brownish, 10-14 cm tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves lacking; stem leaves scaly-bracteate, alternate, the upper bracts fringed, overlapping like the bracts on a conifer cone.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of numerous flowers in dense spikes, each flower subtended by a bract; corollas rusty-red, 0.8-1.3 cm long with the lower lip shorter than the upper lip, the lobes fringed with hairs; calyces with 2-3 lobes; filaments with tufts of basal hairs.
Fruits:
Capsules, 1-1.5 cm long; seeds numerous, minute.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Parasitic, mostly on Alnus (but also on Betula, Salix, Vaccinium, Picea and Chamaedaphne) in moist to mesic forests and thickets in the montane zone; locally common in extreme N BC; amphiberingian, N to AK, YT and NT; Asia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Boschniakia rossica

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Elevation (metres) 20 205 680
Slope Gradient (%) 0 5 17
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
260 303 340
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
2 4 5
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
E
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
6
Modal BEC Zone Class
CWH
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: BWBS(1), CWH(4), SWB(1)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is alpine tundra & boreal.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References