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cuscute des champs, field dodder, five-angle dodder, large-seed alfalfa dodder

Boggs Lake dodder

Stems

yellow to orange, medium.

yellow to orange, slender.

Inflorescences

dense, corymbiform or glomerulate;

bracts at base of clusters 1, at base of pedicels 0 or 1, ovate or ovate-triangular to lanceolate, membranous, margins entire, apex acute.

dense, glomerulate, 3–30-flowered, flowers sessile or subsessile, embedded in inflorescence of host;

bracts at base of clusters 1, at base of pedicels and/or flowers 0 or 1, lanceolate, membranous, margins entire, apex acute.

Pedicels

0.3–2.5(–3.5) mm.

0–0.6 mm.

Flowers

(4 or)5-merous, 1.9–3.6 mm, membranous, not papillate;

calyx yellow, cupulate, equaling corolla tube length, divided 2/5–3/5 its length, reticulate, shiny, lobes ovate-triangular, bases overlapping, margins entire, midvein not carinate, without multicellular protuberances, apex obtuse to rounded;

corolla creamy white, drying creamy or golden yellow, 2–3.5 mm, tube campanulate, (1.1–)1.5–1.9 mm, not saccate, lobes spreading, triangular to triangular-lanceolate, equaling corolla tube length, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate, inflexed;

infrastaminal scales oblong-ovate to spatulate, rounded, 1.5–2 mm, equaling or exceeding corolla tube length, bridged at 0.3–0.5 mm, uniformly densely fimbriate, fimbriae 0.3–0.4(–0.5) mm;

stamens exserted, shorter than corolla lobes;

filaments 0.4–0.7 mm;

anthers (0.3–)0.4–0.5 × 0.2–0.3 mm;

styles filiform, 0.5–1.6 mm, shorter than to equaling ovary.

4(or 5)-merous, 3–4 mm, membranous, calyx and corolla papillate;

calyx straw yellow, campanulate, equaling or longer than corolla tube length, divided 1/2–2/3 its length, finely reticulate, shiny, lobes triangular-ovate, bases not overlapping, margins entire, midvein not carinate, apex acuminate to long-attenuate, recurved;

corolla drying white or creamy white to brownish, 2.8–3.5 mm, tube cylindric-campanulate to urceolate, 1.5–2 mm, not saccate, lobes suberect to spreading, triangular-ovate, equaling corolla tube length, margins entire, apex acute to long-attenuate, recurved;

infrastaminal scales oblong-ovate, 1–1.3 mm, 1/2–2/3 corolla tube length, bridged at 0.2–0.3 mm, rounded, uniformly densely fimbriate, fimbriae 0.1–0.3 mm;

stamens included, shorter than corolla lobes;

filaments 0.1–0.3 mm;

anthers 0.4–0.5 × 0.3–0.4 mm;

styles filiform, 0.4–1.1 mm, 1/4 to ± equaling ovary.

Capsules

depressed-globose to depressed, 1.3–2.8 × 1.9–3.8 mm, not thickened or raised around relatively large interstylar aperture, sometimes translucent, to 1/3 enveloped by withered corolla, indehiscent.

globose to depressed-globose, 1.2–1.5 × 0.8–1.2 mm, not thickened or raised around relatively small interstylar aperture, not translucent, completely enclosed or capped by withered corolla, indehiscent.

Seeds

4, angled, subglobose to broadly ellipsoid, 1.1–1.5 × 0.9–1.1 mm, hilum region subterminal.

1–4, obcompressed to slightly angled, subglobose to broadly ellipsoid, 0.9–1.2 × 0.8–1.1 mm, hilum region subterminal.

2n

= 56.

Cuscuta campestris

Cuscuta howelliana

Phenology Flowering May–Nov. Flowering Aug–Sep.
Habitat Hosts: Acanthaceae, Astera­ceae, Brassicaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Convolvulaceae, Euphor­biaceae, Fabaceae, Hydrophyllaceae, Polygona­ceae, Solanaceae, Urticaceae, Verbenaceae, and others (M. Costea and F. J. Tardif 2006). vernal pools.
Elevation 0–2000 m. (0–6600 ft.) 30–1000 m. (100–3300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; AZ; CA; CO; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NS; ON; QC; SK; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Reports of Cuscuta campestris from New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island have not been verified.

Cuscuta campestris is the most widespread species of the genus in North America and perhaps the most successful and prevalent Cuscuta weed species worldwide; it has been recorded from South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. It has been often referred to in North America as C. pentagona, which has smaller flowers and angled calyces. The two species are closely related; C. campestris is a hybrid species and C. pentagona is one of its progenitors (M. Costea et al. 2015b).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Inflorescences of Cuscuta howelliana develop inside inflorescences of Epilobium densiflorum, Eryngium, and Navarretia; the flowers apparently synchronize their anthesis with that of the host’s flowers and achieve both protection from the host and access to the pollinators of the host. When it parasitizes Diplacus and Downingia, the parasite flowers but does not produce seeds.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 14. FNA vol. 14.
Parent taxa Convolvulaceae > Cuscuta > subg. Grammica Convolvulaceae > Cuscuta > subg. Grammica
Sibling taxa
C. americana, C. approximata, C. azteca, C. boldinghii, C. brachycalyx, C. californica, C. cephalanthi, C. chinensis, C. compacta, C. coryli, C. cuspidata, C. dentatasquamata, C. denticulata, C. draconella, C. epilinum, C. epithymum, C. erosa, C. europaea, C. exaltata, C. glabrior, C. glomerata, C. gronovii, C. harperi, C. howelliana, C. indecora, C. japonica, C. jepsonii, C. legitima, C. leptantha, C. liliputana, C. mitriformis, C. nevadensis, C. obtusiflora, C. occidentalis, C. odontolepis, C. pacifica, C. pentagona, C. plattensis, C. polygonorum, C. rostrata, C. runyonii, C. salina, C. squamata, C. suaveolens, C. subinclusa, C. suksdorfii, C. tuberculata, C. umbellata, C. umbrosa, C. warneri
C. americana, C. approximata, C. azteca, C. boldinghii, C. brachycalyx, C. californica, C. campestris, C. cephalanthi, C. chinensis, C. compacta, C. coryli, C. cuspidata, C. dentatasquamata, C. denticulata, C. draconella, C. epilinum, C. epithymum, C. erosa, C. europaea, C. exaltata, C. glabrior, C. glomerata, C. gronovii, C. harperi, C. indecora, C. japonica, C. jepsonii, C. legitima, C. leptantha, C. liliputana, C. mitriformis, C. nevadensis, C. obtusiflora, C. occidentalis, C. odontolepis, C. pacifica, C. pentagona, C. plattensis, C. polygonorum, C. rostrata, C. runyonii, C. salina, C. squamata, C. suaveolens, C. subinclusa, C. suksdorfii, C. tuberculata, C. umbellata, C. umbrosa, C. warneri
Synonyms C. pentagona var. calycina
Name authority Yuncker: Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 18: 138. (1932) P. Rubtzov: Leafl. W. Bot. 10: 335. (1966)
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