Burke: Cuscuta pentagona vs. Cuscuta occidentalis

	Cuscuta pentagona	Cuscuta occidentalis
	field dodder, five-angled dodder	western dodder
Habit	Parasitic, twining, annual or perennial herbs, with very slender, pinkish-yellow to white, glabrous stems, often forming large mats.	Parasitic, twining, annual or perennial herbs, with very slender, pinkish-yellow to white, glabrous stems, often forming large mats.
Leaves	Leaves reduced to tiny scales.	Leaves reduced to tiny scales.
Flowers	Flowers in small clusters, on pedicels about equal to the calyx; calyx not fleshy, 1.5-3 mm. long, shallowly cup-shaped, the 5 lobes broadly ovate-triangular, overlapping slightly at the base; corolla equaling the calyx, persistent, the tube broadly bell-shaped, slightly longer than the 5 spreading to reflexed, lanceolate, acute lobes; stamens 5, inserted just below the sinuses of the tube, exerted, the filaments exceeding the small anthers; obovate-oblong scales covering the base of the filaments are conspicuously fringed above, joined about 1/3 their lengths; styles 2, 1 mm. long; ovary superior, 2-celled.	Flowers usually sessile in small clusters; calyx about 2 mm. long, the lower half fleshy, the 5 lobes triangular, nearly 1 mm. long, acuminate, the tips spreading slightly; corolla slightly longer than the calyx, broadly bell-shaped, conspicuously pouched between the sepals, the 5 lobes lanceolate-acuminate, spreading, slightly longer than the tube; stamens 5, inserted just below the sinuses of the tube, slightly exerted; filament scales lacking; styles 2, 1-1.5 mm. long; ovary superior, 2-celled.
Fruits	Capsule depressed-globose, 2.5-3 mm. long.	Capsule globose, not circumscissile.

	Cuscuta pentagona	Cuscuta occidentalis
Flowering time	July-September	June-August
Habitat	Parasitic on a variety of hosts.	Seasonally wet or alkaline meadows, vernal pools, and openings.
Distribution	Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest and in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to the Atlantic Coast. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to California, east to Idaho and Colorado. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Introduced	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	C. approximata, C. californica, C. campestris, C. cephalanthi, C. denticulata, C. epithymum, C. indecora, C. occidentalis, C. pacifica, C. suksdorfii	C. approximata, C. californica, C. campestris, C. cephalanthi, C. denticulata, C. epithymum, C. indecora, C. pacifica, C. pentagona, C. suksdorfii
Web links	Local floras: OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Cuscuta occidentalis

field dodder, five-angled dodder

western dodder

Habit

Parasitic, twining, annual or perennial herbs, with very slender, pinkish-yellow to white, glabrous stems, often forming large mats.

Leaves

Leaves reduced to tiny scales.

Flowers

Flowers in small clusters, on pedicels about equal to the calyx;

calyx not fleshy, 1.5-3 mm. long, shallowly cup-shaped, the 5 lobes broadly ovate-triangular, overlapping slightly at the base;

corolla equaling the calyx, persistent, the tube broadly bell-shaped, slightly longer than the 5 spreading to reflexed, lanceolate, acute lobes;

stamens 5, inserted just below the sinuses of the tube, exerted, the filaments exceeding the small anthers; obovate-oblong scales covering the base of the filaments are conspicuously fringed above, joined about 1/3 their lengths;

styles 2, 1 mm. long;

ovary superior, 2-celled.

Flowers usually sessile in small clusters;

calyx about 2 mm. long, the lower half fleshy, the 5 lobes triangular, nearly 1 mm. long, acuminate, the tips spreading slightly;

corolla slightly longer than the calyx, broadly bell-shaped, conspicuously pouched between the sepals, the 5 lobes lanceolate-acuminate, spreading, slightly longer than the tube;

stamens 5, inserted just below the sinuses of the tube, slightly exerted;

filament scales lacking;

styles 2, 1-1.5 mm. long;

ovary superior, 2-celled.

Fruits

Capsule depressed-globose, 2.5-3 mm. long.

Capsule globose, not circumscissile.

Cuscuta pentagona

Cuscuta occidentalis

Flowering time

July-September

June-August

Habitat

Parasitic on a variety of hosts.

Seasonally wet or alkaline meadows, vernal pools, and openings.

Distribution

Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest and in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to the Atlantic Coast.

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]