Pest Photo

USDA APHIS PPQ Archive, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org

Striga

Striga hermonthica

Striga (Striga hermonthica) is a parasitic plant of Corn. It is a native of Africa and was first detected in North and South Carolina in 1950.

Striga hermonthica is a root parasitic weed that reduces the yield of many important cereals in the semiarid tropics in Africa. Yield losses from damage by the parasite are often significant, and complete crop failure is not uncommon.