FoI
Forest Ghost Flower
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Forest Ghost Flower
ative Photo: Narendra Joshi
Common name: Forest Ghost Flower, Ye gu • Marathi: गुलाबदाणी Gulabdani • Hindi: आँकुरी बाँकुरी Aankuri bankuri • Malayalam: കീരിപൂ Keeripu • Mizo: Zawhte-vaibel • Nepali: पुकुसुर Pukusur
Botanical name: Aeginetia indica      Family: Orobanchaceae (Broomrape family)

Native to India, Forest Ghost Flower is a gregarious root parasite seen on shaded forest floor during monsoon. Leafless flowers are in one group, red purple or even white 2-4 cm, solitary on a slender erect scape 15-25 cm tall. Flowers have a curious shape - the sepal tube 2-4 cm long, and is split, from which emerges a rosy pink flowers tube. They look like rose-buds in brownish holders, which, literally is what the Marathi name, Gulabdani means. Occurs on forest floor covered with decayed leaves. Forest Ghost Flower is found in Tropical & Subtropical Asia. In India it is found in the Western Ghats and East Himalaya.

Identification credit: Pravin Kawale Photographed in Maharashtra.

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