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

scale-flower 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 or short-spiciform;

bracts at base of clusters and flowers (2–)4 or 5(–10), ovate-orbiculate to ovate-triangular, membranous, margins denticulate, apex erect, acute to cuspidate.

Pedicels

0.3–2.5(–3.5) mm.

absent.

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.

5-merous, 5–6 mm, membranous, not papillate;

calyx straw yellow, campanulate, 1/2–2/3 corolla tube length, divided to base or nearly so, finely reticulate, shiny, lobes ovate, broadly overlapping, margins denticulate, midvein not carinate, apex acute to cuspidate;

corolla white, drying creamy, straw yellow, or light brown, 4–5.5 mm, tube cylindric, 2.4–3.5 mm, not saccate, lobes spreading to reflexed, ovate-lanceolate to oblong-ovate, 1/3–4/5 corolla tube length, margins entire, apex usually acute, sometimes cuspidate, straight;

infrastaminal scales oblong, 2.4–3.4 mm, equaling corolla tube length, bridged at 0.7–1.5 mm, rounded, uniformly densely fimbriate, fimbriae 0.2–0.4 mm;

stamens barely exserted, shorter than corolla lobes;

filaments 0.5–0.7 mm;

anthers 0.6–0.9 × 0.5–0.6 mm;

styles filiform, 2.5–3.3 mm, longer than 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.

subglobose or ovoid to subconic, 3.4–4.5 × 2.2–3 mm, ± raised and thickened around relatively small interstylar aperture, not translucent, capped by withered corolla, indehiscent.

Seeds

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

2–4, slightly obcompressed, subglobose, broadly ellipsoid to obovoid, 1.5–1.7 × 1.1–1.3 mm, hilum area subterminal.

2n

= 56.

Cuscuta campestris

Cuscuta squamata

Phenology Flowering May–Nov. Flowering Mar–Oct.
Habitat Hosts: Acanthaceae, Astera­ceae, Brassicaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Convolvulaceae, Euphor­biaceae, Fabaceae, Hydrophyllaceae, Polygona­ceae, Solanaceae, Urticaceae, Verbenaceae, and others (M. Costea and F. J. Tardif 2006). Hosts: Asteraceae and others.
Elevation 0–2000 m. (0–6600 ft.) 900–1500 m. (3000–4900 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
NM; TX; Mexico
[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.)

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. 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. 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) Engelmann: Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis 1: 510. (1859)
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