OBJECTIVE To clarify the taxonomic status of Cistanche deserticola Ma (C. deserticola) and Cistanche salsa (C. A. Mey.) Beck (C. salsa), establish a reliable identification system, and support precise traceability within the industry.

METHODS Based on botanical literature review and specimen verification, morphological comparisons were performed using online herbarium databases. Field investigations were conducted to examine external morphology (including scale leaves and floral characteristics) and cross-sectional structural variations among plants from different host species, to assess their taxonomic significance. For molecular phylogenetic analysis, plastid matK and mitochondrial matR gene sequences were aligned with MAFFT, and maximum likelihood trees were constructed using IQ-tree. Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana tabacum were set as outgroups for the matK analysis, while Arabidopsis thaliana and Solanum lycopersicum were used for matR. Branch support was evaluated with 1 000 bootstrap replicates. Integrating morphological and molecular systematic evidence, the taxonomic delineation and interspecific relationship between the two species were clarified.

RESULTS Historical literature review indicated that records and medicinal use of C. salsa predated those of C. deserticola, and that the two taxa were long conflated in practice before gradually being distinguished as "C. deserticola" and "C. salsa". Morphological comparisons revealed only minor differences and a high degree of overlap in characters such as bracts, calyx, and corolla-tube morphology; both taxa exhibited multi-host parasitism (e.g., hosts in genera such as Haloxylon and Suaeda), resulting in substantial morphological convergence. Phylogenetic reconstructions from plastid, mitochondrial, and nuclear markers recovered C. deserticola and C. salsa as well-supported, closely related monophyletic lineages.

CONCLUSION C. deserticola and C. salsa constitute a closely related species complex. The integrative taxonomic evidence provided here supports clarification of their taxonomic status and supplies a foundation for developing reliable identification methods and precise, species-level traceability for multi-origin medicinal materials.