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== Description ==
*Erect, annual herb up to 60 cm tall, with straight, simple or branched, hairy stem. *Leaves opposite, simple; stipules absent; petiole up to 3 mm long; blade circular to ovate or lanceolate, 1.5–5.5 cm × 1–3 cm, base cuneate, rounded or cordate, apex acute or obtuse, margin almost entire to coarsely toothed, rigid-hairy to almost glabrous. *Flowers solitary in axils of upper leaves, bisexual, slightly zygomorphic, sessile or with pedicel up to 0.5(–1.5) mm long; bracteoles linear to filiform; calyx campanulate, 6–8 mm long, 10-veined, 5-lobed with triangular lobes 3–5 mm long; corolla campanulate, slightly longer than calyx, pale yellow to dull orange, sometimes with reddish veins, withering but not falling off; stamens 4, 2 longer ones with long-hairy filaments; ovary superior, glabrous, 2-celled, style clavate above the middle, recurved, included with stamens in corolla. *Fruit a globose capsule c. 5.5 mm in diameter, glabrous, many-seeded. *Seeds linear to clavate, small. == Other botanical information ==
''Alectra'' comprises 30–40 species and is distributed pantropically, with about 30 species in tropical Africa. ''Alectra sessiliflora'' is very variable and might turn out to be a complex of species. Three varieties have been distinguished, mainly based on differences in leaves and in degree of pubescence of several parts.
''Alectra sessiliflora'' is a hemiparasitic weed on the roots of ''Asteraceae'', grasses and a number of crops (e.g. groundnut, maize, sugar cane). Seeds require a chemical stimulant from the host roots in order to germinate. The temperature also plays an important role for successful germination. ''Alectra sessiliflora'' is at least partly dependent on the host for minerals and water, and it can become a serious pest in crops.
== Ecology ==
== Correct citation of this article ==
Jansen, P.C.M., 2005. '''Alectra sessiliflora''' (Vahl) Kuntze. [Internet] Record from PROTA4U. In: Jansen, P.C.M. & Cardon, D. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. <http://www.prota4u.org/search.asp>. Accessed {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}.
