Striga (plant)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

iStriga
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Scrophulariales Family: Scrophulariaceae Genus: Striga Classification according to ITIS and USDA

Striga, commonly known as witchweed, is a genus of parasitic plants that affect grasses and plants like corn and sorghum. Striga can be a problem for farmers because it can seriously damage crops.

Striga can be controlled in sorghum plantations by planting Celosia argentea between the sorghum. The effect appears to be due to suicidal germination in Striga, similar to the same effect from cotton, but more prominent^[1].

[edit] Species

Striga comprises some 30 to 40 species, reaching its greatest diversity in tropical Africa, where about 35 species occur.

The species in this genus include:

• Striga asiatica (Asiatic witchweed)
• Striga bilabiata
• Striga curviflora
• Striga densiflora (denseflower witchweed)
• Striga gesnerioides (cowpea witchweed)
• Striga hermonthica (purple witchweed)
• Striga multiflora
• Striga parviflora

[edit] References

1. ^ J.R. Olupot et al.: The effectiveness of Celosia argentia (Striga chaser) to control Striga on sorghum in Uganda. Crop Protection 22/-/2003. S. 463-8. Online-Version

[edit] External links

• Witchweed
• The Parasitic Plant Connection: Striga Photo Gallery
• UN Development Programme
• Kamal I. Mohamed, Lytton John Musselman, Charles R. Riches. The Genus Striga (Scrophulariaceae) in Africa. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, Vol. 88, No. 1 (Winter, 2001)
• Striga research at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)