Formerly such usually blue colored plants have been assigned to genus Orobanche. From other Orobanche they differ by additional narrow lateral bracts (bracteoles on both sides of the wider central bract) outside of the calyx tube. Therefore they have been recombined to an own genus Phelipanche.
Phelipanche mutelii is a parasite of Composites and Apiaceae among others, and often of Bermuda Buttercup Oxalis pes-caprae which has been introduced to the Mediterranean from South Africa. Today the dainty Phelipanche nana (NOE) SOJAK is included into the species Phelipanche mutelii POMEL, in former times both have been treated as separate species.