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butterbush dodder, button-bush dodder

goldenthread, Pacific salt-marsh dodder, salt marsh dodder

Stems

yellow-orange, medium.

orange, slender.

Inflorescences

dense to loose, spiciform or paniculiform, commonly originating endogenously;

bracts at base of clusters 1 or 2, at base of pedicels and/or flowers 0 or 1, ovate, membranous, margins entire or serrulate, apex obtuse to acute.

dense, umbelliform to subglomerulate;

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

Pedicels

0–1 mm.

0.5–2 mm, sometimes with domelike cells.

Flowers

(3 or)4(or 5)-merous, 2–3 mm, membranous, not papillate;

calyx yellow-brown, shallowly cupulate, 1/2 corolla tube length, divided 2/3 its length, not reticulate, not shiny, lobes oblong-ovate, bases slightly overlapping, margins entire or serrulate, midvein not carinate, apex obtuse;

corolla white, drying creamy white, 1.8–2.8 mm, tube cylindric-campanulate to cylindric, 1.1–2.2 mm, not saccate, lobes spreading, ovate, 1/3–1/2 corolla tube length, margins entire, apex obtuse, straight;

infrastaminal scales oblong, rounded, 0.9–1.7 mm, shorter than to equaling corolla tube length, bridged at 0.2–0.4 mm, sparsely fimbriate, more densely distally, fimbriae 0.1–0.3 mm;

stamens included to slightly exserted, equaling corolla lobes;

filaments 0.2–0.4 mm;

anthers 0.2–0.4 × 0.2–0.4 mm;

styles filiform or narrowly terete, (0.6–)1–2 mm, equaling or longer than ovary.

5-merous, 3.5–6 mm, membranous, papillate or corolla lobes, sometimes calyx, with domelike cells;

calyx creamy yellow, usually drying dull brown, rarely drying yellow, campanulate to cupulate, equaling corolla tube length, divided 2/3 its length, not reticulate or shiny, lobes ovate-triangular, bases slightly overlapping, margins entire, midvein not carinate, apex acute to acuminate;

corolla white, generally drying dark brown (rarely creamy yellow), 2.8–5.4 mm, tube campanulate, 1.5–2.6 mm, not saccate, lobes erect to spreading, broadly ovate to rhombic-ovate, equaling corolla tube length, bases overlapping, margins entire or irregular, apex usually acute to cuspidate, sometimes appearing tridentate, straight;

infrastaminal scales oblong to slightly obovate, 1–1.5 mm, 1/2–3/4 corolla tube length, bridged at 0.3–0.5 mm, with few short fimbriae 0.05–0.1 mm;

stamens included in completely open flower, shorter than corolla lobes;

filaments 0.3–0.6 mm;

anthers 0.3–0.6 × 0.3–0.5 mm;

styles filiform, 0.4–0.9 mm, shorter than ovary.

Capsules

depressed-globose to globose, 2.5–3.2(–4) × 2–4 mm, not thickened or raised around relatively small interstylar aperture, not translucent, capped by withered corolla, indehiscent.

ovoid, 2–3.6 × 1.4–2.1 mm, thickened around relatively small interstylar aperture, not translucent, surrounded by withered corolla, indehiscent.

Seeds

1 or 2, obcompressed, broadly ovoid, 1.4–2 × 1.3–1.4 mm, hilum region terminal.

1 or 2, ± obcompressed, broadly ellipsoid to subglobose, 1.4–1.9 × 1.2–1.4 mm, hilum subterminal.

2n

= 60.

Cuscuta cephalanthi

Cuscuta pacifica

Phenology Flowering Jun–Oct.
Habitat stream and lake shores, marshes, and floodplain forests.
Elevation 0–1500 m. (0–4900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; AZ; CA; CT; DC; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; ME; MI; MN; NC; ND; NE; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; WA; WI; AB; BC; MB; NB; NS; ON
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
w North America; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Cuscuta pacifica was segregated from C. salina based on their different morphology, reproductive biology, host range, geographical distribution, and ecology (M. Costea et al. 2009).

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

Key
1. Pedicels not papillate; calyces not papillate.
var. pacifica
1. Pedicels papillate; calyces papillate.
var. papillata
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. campestris, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
C. pacifica var. pacifica, C. pacifica var. papillata
Name authority Engelmann: Amer. J. Sci. Arts 43: 336, plate 6, figs. 1–6. (1842) Costea & M. A. R. Wright: Syst. Bot. 34: 792, fig. 6. (2009)
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