Parasitic flowering plants of woody species in Jordan

Parasitic weed occurrence in Jordan was surveyed during the period from 2004 to 2009. Results revealed the presence of seven genera attacking 85 woody plant species belong to 33 botanical families. Parasitic genera were Cuscuta, Orobanche, Cistanche, Plicosepalus, Viscum, Osyris and Cynomorium. Among the most severely parasitized species were Citrus spp., Olea europaea, Vitis vinifera, and Ziziphus spina-christi by Cuscuta monogyna; Amygdalus communis and O. europaea by Orobanche cernua, Orobanche palaestina and Orobanche schultzii,; A. communis, Cupressus sempervirens, O. europaea and V. vinifera by Osyris alba; Casuarina equisetifolia and Haloxylon persicum by Cistanche spp.; Acacia asak, Acacia cyanophylla, Acacia farnesiana, Acacia nilotica, C. equisetifolia, Ficus carica, Melia azedarach, Parkinsonia aculeata, Poinciana gilliesii, Retama raetam, Tamarix pentandra and Ziziphus spp. by Plicosepalus acaciae; A. communis, Crataegus azarolus, O. europaea, P. granatum, R. raetam, and Rhamnus palaestina by Viscum cruciatum; and H. persicum by Cynomorium coccineum. Many of the host species are first time reported while O. schultzii was the first record parasitizing woody plants.