Vancouver groundcone facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Vancouver groundcone |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Kopsiopsis
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| Species: |
hookeri
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Kopsiopsis hookeri is a species of parasitic plant in the family Orobanchaceae known by as Vancouver groundcone or small groundcone.
Distribution
It is native to western North America from British Columbia to northern California, where it grows in wooded areas.
Description
It is a parasite of salal bushes, which it parasitizes by penetrating them with haustoria to tap nutrients. The groundcone is visible aboveground as a purplish, brown, or yellowish cone-shaped inflorescence 3 to 6 cm (1.2 to 2.4 in) long. Pale-colored flowers emerge from between the overlapping bracts. Coastal aboriginal groups ate the potato-like stembase of Ground Cones raw, though usually as a snack and not in any quantity.
Formerly considered Boschniakia hookeri, some taxonomists now place it in the genus Kopsiopsis on the basis of phylogenetic evidence.
