Orobanche crenata

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Orobanche crenata, or bean broomrape, is a parasitic plant that attacks faba beans (Vicia faba). It has no chlorophyll and cannot make its own food. Instead, it steals water and minerals from the host through the xylem and sugars through the phloem. Native to the Mediterranean region—parts of Europe and North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and western Asia up to Iran—it has spread to other areas, including Ethiopia. Because it lives on legume crops, it is a constant threat to legume production. In southern Italy’s Apulia region, people collect and eat the stems of Orobanche crenata.