Taxon:  Striga asiatica (L.) Kuntze



Summary
Genus:
Striga
Family:
Orobanchaceae
Nomen number:
102305
Place of publication:
Revis. gen. pl. 2:466.  1891
Verified:
05/20/1992 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
0 (0  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System. 
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Buchnera asiatica L.

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Striga coccinea Benth.

Invalid Designation(s)
Striga lutea auct. nonn.
Images (2 total. Click on image for more.)
Embryo drawing

Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
  2. APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
  3. Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1960-. Flore du Cambodge du Laos et du Viet-Nam. Note: = Striga lutea Lour.
  4. Babu, C. R. 1977. Herbaceous flora of Dehra Dun.
  5. Backer, C. A. & R. C. Bakhuizen van den Brink, Jr. 1963-1968. Flora of Java.
  6. Boudet, G. et al. 1986. Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du Mali
  7. Brunel, J. F. et al., eds. 1984. Flore analytique du Togo. Phanerogames
  8. Cufodontis, G. 1953-1972. Enumeratio plantarum aethiopiae: Spermatophyta.
  9. Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon. Note: = Striga lutea Lour.
  10. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
  11. Frederiksen, R. A. 1996. Compendium of sorghum diseases. In: American Phytopathological Society, The disease compendium series. 54-56.
  12. Ghazanfar, S. A. 1992. An annotated catalogue of the vascular plants of Oman. Scripta Botanica Belgica 2
  13. Hara, H. et al. 1978-1982. An enumeration of the flowering plants of Nepal.
  14. Hepper, F. N. 1974. Parasitic witchweed: Striga asiatica versus S. lutea (Scrophulariaceae). Rhodora 76:45-47.
  15. Holm, L. et al. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds Note: = Striga lutea Lour.
  16. Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
  17. Keng, H. 1990-. The concise flora of Singapore.
  18. Merrill, E. D. 1922-1926. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants.
  19. Migahid, A. M. 1988-1990. Flora of Saudi Arabia, ed. 3.
  20. Mohamed, K. I. et al. 2001. The genus Striga (Scrophulariaceae) in Africa. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 88:67-69.
  21. Plant Protection and Quarantine Office. United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Federal noxious weed list (on-line resource).
  22. Seed Regulatory and Testing Division, Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S.D.A. State noxious-weed seed requirements recognized in the administration of the Federal Seed Act (updated annually).
  23. Smitinand, T. & K. Larsen, eds. 1970-. Flora of Thailand.
  24. Thulin, M., ed. 1993-. Flora of Somalia.
  25. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
  26. USDA National Agricultural Library. National Invasive Species Information Center (on-line resource).
  27. Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
  28. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
  29. 2013. Class 1 declared plants: Striga spp. (witchweeds). Bull. Weed Spotters' Network Queensland August issue: 3.
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishwitchweed  1Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Transcribed Chinesedu jiao jin  2Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaKenya  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaTanzania  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaUganda  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaSomalia  Thulin, M., ed. 1993-. Flora of Somalia.
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaSudan   
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaAngola   
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMalawi  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMozambique  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZambia  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZimbabwe  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaBotswana  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaEswatini   
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaLesotho   
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaNamibia   
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaCape Province  
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaFree State  
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaKwaZulu-Natal  
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaTransvaal  
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaBurundi   
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaCentral African Republic   
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaCongo   
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaDemocratic Republic of the Congo   
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaRwanda   
1NativeAfricaWestern Indian OceanMadagascar   
1NativeAfricaWestern Indian OceanMauritius   
1NativeAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaOman  Ghazanfar, S. A. 1992. An annotated catalogue of the vascular plants of Oman. Scripta Botanica Belgica 2
1NativeAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaSaudi Arabia  Migahid, A. M. 1988-1990. Flora of Saudi Arabia, ed. 3.
1NativeAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaYemen  Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaFujian Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaGuangdong Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaGuangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaGuizhou Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaHunan Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaJiangxi Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaYunnan Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentBhutan   
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndia   
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentNepal  Hara, H. et al. 1978-1982. An enumeration of the flowering plants of Nepal.
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentSri Lanka  Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon. Note: = Striga lutea Lour.
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaCambodia  Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1960-. Flore du Cambodge du Laos et du Viet-Nam. Note: = Striga lutea Lour.
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaMyanmar   
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaThailand  Smitinand, T. & K. Larsen, eds. 1970-. Flora of Thailand.
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaVietnam  Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1960-. Flore du Cambodge du Laos et du Viet-Nam. Note: = Striga lutea Lour.
1NativeAsia-TropicalMalesiaIndonesia   
1NativeAsia-TropicalMalesiaMalaysia   
1NativeAsia-TropicalMalesiaPhilippines   
4Naturalized    natzd. elsewhere 
4NaturalizedAustralasiaAustraliaAustraliaQueenslande.-c.2013. Class 1 declared plants: Striga spp. (witchweeds). Bull. Weed Spotters' Network Queensland August issue: 3.
Native
Africa
  • NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Sudan, Somalia
  • EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
  • WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Rwanda
  • SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe
  • SOUTHERN AFRICA: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Eswatini, South Africa [Cape Province, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Transvaal]
  • WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN: Madagascar, Mauritius
Asia-Temperate
  • ARABIAN PENINSULA: Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
  • CHINA: China [Fujian Sheng, Guangdong Sheng, Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu, Guizhou Sheng, Hunan Sheng, Jiangxi Sheng, Yunnan Sheng]
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal
  • INDO-CHINA: Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
  • MALESIA: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines
Naturalized

  • REGION:
Australasia
  • AUSTRALIA: Australia [Queensland (e.-c.)]

Reference(s)
  1. Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1960-. Flore du Cambodge du Laos et du Viet-Nam. Note: = Striga lutea Lour.
  2. Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon. Note: = Striga lutea Lour.
  3. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
  4. Ghazanfar, S. A. 1992. An annotated catalogue of the vascular plants of Oman. Scripta Botanica Belgica 2
  5. Hara, H. et al. 1978-1982. An enumeration of the flowering plants of Nepal.
  6. Migahid, A. M. 1988-1990. Flora of Saudi Arabia, ed. 3.
  7. Smitinand, T. & K. Larsen, eds. 1970-. Flora of Thailand.
  8. Thulin, M., ed. 1993-. Flora of Somalia.
  9. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
  10. Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
  11. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
  12. 2013. Class 1 declared plants: Striga spp. (witchweeds). Bull. Weed Spotters' Network Queensland August issue: 3.
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Weedparasite Holm, L. et al. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds Note: = Striga lutea Lour.
Weedseed contaminantpotentialHolm, L. et al. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds Note: = Striga lutea Lour.
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=102305. Accessed 14 May 2026.