Parasitic Plant
Squawroot / Bear Corn / Cancer Root
Conopholis americana · genus Conopholis
Unusual yellow/brown cone-like parasitic plant lacking green foliage, associated primarily with oak roots — a valuable indicator of underground oak woodland ecology.
About
Description
Unusual yellow/brown cone-like plant lacking ordinary green foliage. Root parasite primarily associated with oak.
Not edible.
Traditional use. Documented Indigenous medicinal traditions exist.
Root parasite primarily associated with oak. Its presence provides information about the underground ecology of the oak woodland (oak roots → Conopholis americana).
Oak-root parasite; reveals underground oak ecology.
Spring/summer emergence
Oak woodland
Oak woodland
Documented Indigenous medicinal traditions exist.
Educational use only. Identification, edibility, and traditional medicinal knowledge is shared for learning. Always obtain positive identification before eating, harvesting, or medicinally using any plant or fungi. This Atlas is not medical advice.