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Submit a photoPale Comandra
Comandra umbellata
A curious short perennial of dry prairies, open pine forests, and roadsides — superficially unremarkable until you learn it is a hemiparasite, tapping the roots of over 200 host species to steal water and nutrients while still photosynthesizing. Small star-shaped greenish-white flower clusters in spring. Bastard toadflax is also an alternate host for Comandra blister rust, a disease of lodgepole pine.
Quick Facts
Distribution
Prairie, Parkland, Foothills, Zone 3
Light
Full sun to part shade
Bloom Time
May–July
Soil
Dry, sandy, or gravelly; tolerates poor soils
Water
Low — drought-tolerant
Growing & Cultivation
Propagation
Very difficult — rarely cultivated because of its parasitic dependence on host plants. Best observed in the wild rather than transplanted.
