Cuscuta epithymum

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Species Description

Cuscuta epithymum

Nomenclature
Accepted name/Authority/Place of publication: 

Cuscuta epithymum (L.) L. Syst. Veg. (Ed. 14) 140. 1774.

Synonyms: 

Cuscuta acutiflora Rota 

Cuscuta campanulata Stokes

Cuscuta coriariae Sennen & Pau

Cuscuta muelleri Strail

Cuscuta trifolii Bab.

Cuscuta ulicis Godr.

Description
Habit: 
Annual or perennial; stems 0.4-0.6 mm in diameter.
Inflorescences: 
dense, glomerulate; bracts 1 at the base of each glomerule, membranous, ovate, margins entire, apex acute; pedicels absent, rarely to 0.5 mm long.
Flowers: 
5-merous, 3–4(–5) mm, fleshy; papillae absent; laticifers visible in corolla and the midveins of calyx lobes, isolated or in rows, elongated; calyx creamy or purplish, not evidently reticulate, ± shiny, cupulate, 1/2–2/3 as long as the corolla tube, divided 1/2–2/3 the length, lobes basally overlapping, ovate-triangular, apex acute to acuminate, margins entire; corolla 2.8–3.6 mm, white and sometimes pink or purple-tinged both when fresh and dried, tube 1.5–3 mm, campanulate-cylindric, not saccate, lobes spreading, 3/4–1/2 as long as the tube, triangular or sometimes lanceolate, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate, straight; stamens exserted, shorter than the lobes, anthers ovate to broadly elliptic, 0.3–0.5 × 0.3–0.5 mm, filaments 0.4–0.7 mm; infrastaminal scales 1.1–1.7 mm long, ca. 4/5 of the corolla tube, bridged at 0.4–0.6 mm, oblong-spatulate, rounded, uniformly short fimbriate, fimbriae 0.08–0.2 mm long; styles terete, stigma plus style 1.2–2.2 mm, about as long as to 2 times longer than the ovary; stigmas cylindrical to terete, 0.6–1 mm, ca. as long as the style.
Fruits: 
Capsules circumscissile, globose, 1.6–2.2 x 1.6–2.3 mm, not thickened or risen around the small or inconspicuous interstylar aperture, translucent, capped by the withered corolla.
Seeds: 
4 per capsule, angled, sub-round to ovate, 0.8–1.1 x 0.7–1 mm, seed coat cells alveolate/papillate, hilum region terminal.
Author: 
Mihai Costea
References: 

Costea, M. 2007-onwards. Digital Atlas of Cuscuta (Convolvulaceae). Wilfrid Laurier University Herbarium, Ontario, Canada. Flower morphology; pollen; living plants.

García M.A. and Martin M.P. 2007. Phylogeny of Cuscuta subgenus Cuscuta (Convolvulaceae) based on nrDNA ITS and chloroplast trnL intron sequences. Syst. Bot. 32:899–916.

Yuncker, T.G. 1932. The genus Cuscuta. Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 18: 113–331.

Biogeography, Ecology and Natural History
Distribution: 

Subcosmopolitan. Native from Europe and introduced in Asia, Australia (Western Australia; New South Wales;Victoria;Tasmania) , South Africa, North and South America.

Ecology: 

Spread with contaminated seeds of forage legume crops; hosts often herbaceous, someties woody. In cultivated
and disturbed areas.

Phenology: 

Flowers: mainly Aug.-Feb.

Author: 
Mihai Costea
References: 

Johnson, R.W. [unpublished]. Convolvulaceae In eFloraSA [Electronic Flora of South Australia].  http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/factsheets.html

Other information
Common names and uses: 
Lesser dodder.
General comments: 

Parasite on mainly leguminous herbs; also recorded on a wide range of native and naturalised herbs.

Authorship for webpage
Editor: 
Mihai Costea, George Staples, Esmond Er
Contributors: 
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    ITIS Name

    Cuscuta epithymum

    Scientific Name
    Rank: 
    Species
    Unit Name 1: 
    Cuscuta
    Unit Name 2: 
    epithymum
    Usage
    Usage: 
    accepted
    Reference
    Authors: 
    (L.) L.
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