Cuscuta coryli

Nomenclature

Accepted name/Authority/Place of publication: 

Cuscuta coryli Engelm., Amer. J. Sci. Arts 43: 337. 1842.

Synonyms: 

Cuscuta coryli Engelm. var. stylosa Engelm., Amer. J. Sci. 43: 337.

Cuscuta inflexa Engelm., Trans. Acad. St. Louis 1:502. 1859.

Cuscuta crenulata Engelm. London J. Bot. 2: 197. 1843.

Cuscuta compacta var. crenulata (Engelm.) Choisy, Prodr. 9: 459. 1845.

Description

Habit: 
Parasitic; annual or perennial by overwintering inside the host stems. Stems yellow-orange, 0.3-0.6 mm in diameter.
Inflorescences: 
dense, paniculiform or glomerulate, sometimes originating endogenously; bracts 1 at the bases of clusters and 0--1 at the base of pedicels, membranous, ovate to lanceolate, margins entire, apex acute; pedicels 0.5–3 mm.
Flowers: 
(3-)4–5-merous, 1.7–2.6(-3) mm, fleshy; papillae usually absent but perianth cells convex, dome-like; laticifers visible in the calyx, corolla and ovary/capsule, isolated or in rows, ovoid to elongated; calyx brownish, not reticulate or shiny, cupulate, equaling or somewhat longer than corolla tube, rarely in some flowers shorter than corolla tube, divided 1/2–2/3 of the length, lobes not or only slightly overlapping at base, triangular-ovate, ± carinate, margins entire, apex acute; corolla 1.5--2.5 mm, white when fresh, commonly dark-brown when dried, the tube 0.5--1.5 mm, campanulate to suburceolate, not saccate, lobes suberect to erect, 1/3 to equaling corolla tube, triangular-ovate, margins entire, apex acute, inflexed; stamens enclosed, shorter than corolla lobes, anthers ovate, 0.2–0.4 × 0.19–0.25 mm; filaments 0.3–0.6 mm; infrastaminal scales equaling or exceeding corolla tube, 0.7–1.5 mm, bridged at 0.3–0.5 mm, oblong, bifid with 1–3 fimbriae on each side of filament attachment or with denticulate wings; fimbriae 0.3–0.5 mm; styles, evenly filiform, 0.7--1.8 mm, ca. as long as or sometimes longer than the ovary; stigmas capitate, globose.
Pollen: 
3(–4)-zonocolpate, subprolate to prolate, 24–36 μm long, tectum imperforatum or with a few isolate puncta, sexine scabrate with isolated granules
Fruits: 
Capsules indehiscent, initially globose or ovoid, later depressed, 1.8–2.5 × 3.5–5 mm, ± thickened but not risen around the large interstylar aperture, not translucent, capped by the withered corolla or shedding it completely.
Seeds: 
3–4 per capsule, shape heterogeneous on the same plant: dorsoventrally compressed to weakly angled, broadly elliptic to transversely oblique, 1.32–1.65 x 1.25–1.4 mm, seed coat cells variable: alveolate/papillate, polygonal [not alveolate/papillate] and puzzle-like arranged, or both types present on the same seed; hilum region subterminal, rarely almost terminal.
Author: 
Mihai Costea
References: 

Costea, M., G. L. Nesom, and S. Stefanović. 2006. Taxonomy of Cindecora complex in North America. Sida22: 176–195.

Costea, M. 2007-onwards. Digital Atlas of Cuscuta (Convolvulaceae). Wilfrid Laurier University Herbarium, Ontario, Canada. Morphology of type specimenpollen; living plants.

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

Biogeography, Ecology and Natural History

Distribution: 

North America: U.S.A. and Canada

Ecology: 

Wide range of herbaceous and woody species, including Aster, Helianthus, Solidago, Monarda, and Rubus; elevation 50–200 m.

Author: 
Mihai Costea

Other information

General comments: 

Cuscuta coryli isclosely related to C. indecora fromwhich differs through the often small, 4-merous, flowers, infrastaminal scalesbifid with 1–3 fimbriae on each side of filament attachment, or with denticulatewings, and the depressed, not translucent capsules.

Authorship for webpage

Editor: 
Mihai Costea
Classification: 

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