Aeginetia indica – Indian Broomrape, Forest Ghost Flower

Description

Aeginetia indica is a holoparasitic herb in the Orobanchaceae family. Its native range is in Tropical and Subtropical Asia. It can grow in a grassy spot in the lowlands or low mountain areas where water settles. You can grow this species as long as you have one of these plant families for it to parasitize, Cannaceae, Commelinaceae, Cyperaceae, Juncaceae, Poaceae, and Zingiberaceae. A plant used for medicinal and ritual purposes. Purple juice is extracted from the flowers and added to the Thai sticky rice dessert ‘kanom dok din.’ A unique flower with a weird shape. It grows to around 2-3 feet tall in groups that spread out 3-4 feet. The flowers can be red-purple or white in a curving shape rarely seen. They are tubular 2-4 cm long and split. The split opens up to let the flowers come out. The stems look decayed before the flowers pop out. It prefers to grow in light shade with high water needs.