View source for Epifagus

{{Treatment/ID
|accepted_name=Epifagus
|accepted_authority=Nuttall
|publications={{Treatment/Publication
|title=Gen. N. Amer. Pl.
|place=2: 60. 1818
|year=1818
|other_info_on_pub=name conserved
}}
|common_names=Beechdrops;cancer-root;épifage
|basionyms=
|synonyms=
|hierarchy=Orobanchaceae;Epifagus
|hierarchy_nav=<div class="higher-taxa"><div class="higher-taxon"><small>family</small>[[Orobanchaceae]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>genus</small>[[Epifagus]]</div></div>
|etymology=Greek epi-, upon, and Latin fagus, beech, alluding to host plant
|volume=Volume 17
|mention_page=page 457, 465, 474
|treatment_page=page 463
}}<!--

--><span class="statement" id="st-undefined" data-properties=""><b>Herbs,</b> annual; achlorophyllous, holoparasitic, roots coralloid, from among scales of cormlike structure. <b>Stems</b> absent. <b>Leaves</b> absent. <b>Inflorescences</b> terminal, open panicles of racemes; bracts present. <b>Pedicels</b> present; bracteoles present. <b>Flowers</b>: sepals 5, calyx ± bilaterally symmetric, obliquely campanulate, lobes toothlike. <b>Chasmogamous</b> flowers: petals 5 (appearing as 4), corolla white or pale yellow with purple to reddish purple or reddish brown stripes, bilabiate, tubular, abaxial lobes 3, adaxial 1 (by connation); stamens 4, didynamous, filaments densely pilose at base, sparsely pilose distally; staminode 0; ovary 1-locular, placentation parietal; stigma capitate or ca. 2-lobed. <b>Cleistogamous</b> flowers: corolla not persistent, purplish red and white, rarely pale yellow, bilaterally symmetric, calyptriform; stamens included, anthers connate, adnate to stigma; corolla, stamens, and style shed as unit. <b>Capsules</b>: dehiscence loculicidal. <b>Seeds</b> 500–600, pale amber, narrowly ovoid to oblong-ellipsoid, not or only slightly flattened, wings absent.</span><!--

-->{{Treatment/Body
|distribution=c;e North America;ne Mexico.
|discussion=<p>Species 1.</p><!--
--><p><i>Epifagus</i> is the only genus among the holoparasites to produce cleistogamous flowers. The relative occurrence of cleistogamous and chasmogamous flowers varies from plant to plant.</p><!--
--><p>The cormlike structure of <i>Epifagus</i> is entirely underground and differs from the stems of <i>Boschniakia</i>, <i>Conopholis</i>, and <i>Kopsiopsis</i> by having both scales and coralloid roots. The racemes emerge directly from the base; there is no aerial stem. Floral buds occur in the axils of all bracts, often even those on the cormlike base. Other genera of holoparasites have a well-differentiated vegetative stem that supports the inflorescence.</p>
|tables=
|references={{Treatment/Reference
|id=thieret1969c
|text=Thieret, J. W. 1969d. Notes on Epifagus. Castanea 34: 397–402.
}}
}}<!--

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-->{{#Taxon:
name=Epifagus
|author=L. Turner Collins;Alison E. L. Colwell;George Yatskievych
|authority=Nuttall
|rank=genus
|parent rank=family
|synonyms=
|basionyms=
|family=Orobanchaceae
|illustrator=John Myers
|illustration copyright=Flora of North America Association
|distribution=c;e North America;ne Mexico.
|reference=thieret1969c
|publication title=Gen. N. Amer. Pl.
|publication year=1818
|special status=
|source xml=https://bitbucket.org/aafc-mbb/fna-data-curation/src/2e0870ddd59836b60bcf96646a41e87ea5a5943a/coarse_grained_fna_xml/V17/V17_793.xml
|genus=Epifagus
}}<!--

-->[[Category:Treatment]][[Category:Orobanchaceae]]