Flora of North America species comparison

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Cuscuta epithymum

Cuscuta subg. Cuscuta

clover dodder, common dodder, thyme dodder
Inflorescences

monochasial cymes: dense, glomerulate.
Pedicels

0–1.5 mm.
Flowers

styles 2, equal;

stigmas clavate, cylindric, or terete.
Capsules

dehiscence circumscissile, interstylar aperture relatively small or inconspicuous.
Seeds

angled (2 flat faces and 1 convex), ellipsoid, ovoid, or subglobose;

seed coat epidermis cells honeycombed when dry and papillate when wet.

Cuscuta epithymum

Cuscuta subg. Cuscuta
Distribution
from USDA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Europe; Asia; n Africa; Atlantic Islands [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico, South America, s Africa, Australia]
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.)

Species 21 (4 in the flora).

Species of subgen. Cuscuta have holocentric chromosomes (B. Pazy and U. Plitmann 1994; M. A. García and S. Castroviejo 2003).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Flowers 4(or 5)-merous; calyx lobe apices obtuse to truncate.
C. europaea
1. Flowers 5-merous; calyx lobe apices acute to acuminate.
→ 2
2. Styles plus stigmas 0.5–1.1 mm, shorter than ovary; seeds usually connate in pairs; hosts: primarily Linum usitatissimum.
C. epilinum
2. Styles plus stigmas 0.8–2.2 mm, equaling or longer than ovary; seeds not connate in pairs; hosts: primarily Medicago and Trifolium, sometimes other legumes and herbs from other families.
→ 3
3. Calyces golden yellow, cellular-reticulate, lobes each with a distal fleshy appendage.
C. approximata
3. Calyces creamy white or purplish, not notably reticulate, lobes without distal fleshy appendages.
C. epithymum
Source FNA vol. 14. FNA vol. 14.
Parent taxa Convolvulaceae > Cuscuta > subg. Cuscuta Convolvulaceae > Cuscuta
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
Subordinate taxa
C. epithymum var. epithymum
C. approximata, C. epilinum, C. epithymum, C. europaea
Synonyms C. europaea var. epithymum
Name authority (Linnaeus) Linnaeus: Amoen. Acad. 4: 478. (1759) — (as epithym.) unknown
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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