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clover dodder, common dodder, thyme dodder

common dodder, cuscute de gronovius, love dodder, scaldweed

Stems

yellow to orange, medium to coarse.

Inflorescences

loose or dense, paniculiform, sometimes originating endogenously;

bracts at base of clusters 1, at base of pedicels 0 or 1, rarely 1 or 2(or 3) on pedicels, ovate to broadly triangular, membranous, margins entire or serrulate, apex acute to obtuse.

Pedicels

1–4.5 mm.

Flowers

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

calyx yellow-brown, cupulate or campanulate to narrowly campanulate, 1/2 to equaling corolla tube length, divided 1/2–2/3 its length, not reticulate or shiny, lobes ovate to suborbiculate or oblong, bases barely to notably overlapping, margins entire to serrulate, midvein not carinate, apex rounded or obtuse;

corolla white fresh or dry, 1.8–4 mm, tube broadly to narrowly campanulate, 1–2.5(–3) mm, not saccate, lobes spreading to reflexed, mostly ovate, (1/4–)1/3 or 1/2 to equaling corolla tube length, margins entire, apex rounded to obtuse, straight;

infrastaminal scales oblong, 1–2.5 mm, equaling corolla tube length, bridged at 0.4–0.8 mm, sparsely fimbriate, fimbriae 0.4–0.8 mm;

stamens exserted, shorter than to equaling corolla lobes;

filaments 0.4–0.7(–1) mm;

anthers 0.3–0.6 × 0.3–0.4 mm;

styles usually filiform, sometimes slightly subulate, (0.6–)1.2–2.2 mm, shorter than to equaling ovary.

Capsules

ovoid to conic-globose or subobpyriform, 2.5–4.5(–5.2) × 2–4(–5) mm, raised and ± thickened around relatively small to moderately large interstylar aperture, rarely apically narrowed into neck to 1 mm, not translucent, loosely surrounded or capped by withered corolla, indehiscent.

Seeds

2–4, obcompressed to obscurely angled, subglobose to broadly ovoid, 1.3–1.7(–2.2) × 1.2–1.6 mm, hilum region subterminal.

Cuscuta epithymum

Cuscuta gronovii

Distribution
from USDA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
North America; West Indies [Introduced in Europe]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties (subspecies) 2 (1 in the flora): introduced; Europe; introduced also in Mexico, South America, Asia, s Africa, Australia.

Cuscuta epithymum subsp. kotschyi (Des Moulins) Arcangeli grows in southern Europe.

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

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Calyces equaling corolla tube length, lobes oblong to ovate, bases barely overlapping; corolla tube broadly campanulate, 1–1.5 mm, lobes 1/2 to equaling tube length.
var. latiflora
1. Calyces 1/2 corolla tube length, lobes ovate to suborbiculate, bases overlapping; corolla tube campanulate to narrowly campanulate, 1.5–2.5(–3) mm, lobes (1/4–)1/3 tube length.
→ 2
2. Corolla tube campanulate, 1.5–2.5 mm; cap­sules loosely surrounded by withered corolla.
var. gronovii
2. Corolla tube narrowly campanulate, 2–2.5(–3) mm; capsules capped by withered corolla.
var. calyptrata
Source FNA vol. 14. FNA vol. 14.
Parent taxa Convolvulaceae > Cuscuta > subg. Cuscuta Convolvulaceae > Cuscuta > subg. Grammica
Sibling taxa
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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
C. epithymum var. epithymum
C. gronovii var. calyptrata, C. gronovii var. gronovii, C. gronovii var. latiflora
Synonyms C. europaea var. epithymum
Name authority (Linnaeus) Linnaeus: Amoen. Acad. 4: 478. (1759) — (as epithym.) Willdenow in J. J. Roemer et al.: Syst. Veg. 6: 205. (1820)
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