Turkmenistan: Desert Hyacinth aka Cistanche Tubulosa

This plant looked totally bizarre, otherworldly, and alien in the open sand dunes of the Karakum Desert – like it was plastic! This is Cistanche tubulosa in Latin or Desert Hyacinth colloquially. It is a fully parasitic plant that lacks chlorophyl and draws all its nitrites by attaching to a host of a desert bush or a tree and basically sucking them dry. It blooms with a thick, fleshy, upright stem that can grow up to 100 cm tall, topped with a dense spike of tubular flowers that start as pale yellow or creamy white at the top, transitioning to purplish or brownish hues lower down as they mature or dry out. Totally amazing plant!