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cuscute des renouées, smartweed dodder

rope dodder

Stems

yellow-orange, slender to medium.

orange, medium.

Inflorescences

dense, glomerulate;

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

extremely dense, continuous (cymes indiscernible), ropelike, spiraling around and closely appressed to host stem, flowers sessile, commonly originating endogenously;

bracts at base of clusters, pedicels, and/or flowers 4–11, narrowly triangular to lanceolate, folded-concave, membranous, margins serrate or lacerate, apex acute, recurved.

Pedicels

0–1 mm.

absent.

Flowers

(3 or)4-merous, 2–2.7 mm, membranous, not papillate;

calyx brownish yellow, cupulate, equaling corolla tube length, divided 1/2–2/3 its length, not reticulate or shiny, lobes triangular-ovate, bases not overlapping, margins entire, midvein not carinate, without hornlike appendages, apex obtuse to rounded;

corolla white, drying yellow-brown, 1.8–2.5 mm, tube cupulate to shallowly campanulate, 1–1.4 mm, not saccate, lobes erect, triangular, equaling or longer than corolla tube length, margins entire, apex acute, inflexed;

infrastaminal scales usually well developed, sometimes poorly developed, oblong, 0.8–1.2 mm, shorter than to equaling corolla tube length, bridged at 0.1–0.2 mm, mostly shallowly 2-fid with 1–3 fimbriae on each side of filament attachment or irregularly fimbriate at apex, fimbriae (0.05–)0.1–0.3 mm;

stamens exserted, shorter than to ± equaling corolla lobes;

filaments 0.4–0.8 mm;

anthers 0.3–0.4 × 0.2–0.3 mm;

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

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

calyx stramineous yellow, campanulate-turbinate, equaling corolla tube length, divided to base or nearly so, reticulate, shiny, lobes narrowly triangular to lanceolate, bases overlapping, margins serrate to irregular, midvein not carinate, apex obtuse to acute;

corolla white, drying stramineous yellow or brownish, 4.5–5.4 mm, tube cylindric, 3.6–4.4 mm, not saccate, lobes spreading to reflexed, oblong-lanceolate, 1/5–1/4 corolla tube length, margins entire, apex acute to obtuse, straight;

infrastaminal scales oblong, 2.5–3 mm, 3/4 corolla tube length, bridged at 1.3–1.7 mm, rounded, ± uniformly fimbriate, fimbriae 0.3–0.5 mm;

stamens exserted, shorter than corolla lobes;

filaments 0.5–0.7 mm;

anthers 0.6–0.8 × 0.3–0.4 mm;

styles filiform, 2–3 mm, longer than ovary.

Capsules

depressed-globose, often appearing angled, 1.6–3 × 2.5–5 mm, not thickened or raised around relatively large interstylar aperture, not translucent, base ± enveloped by withered corolla, indehiscent.

globose to flask-shaped, 3.5–6 × 2–3.5 mm, thickened and raised in collar around style bases, not translucent, capped by withered corolla, indehiscent.

Seeds

3 or 4, obcompressed, subglobose or broadly ovoid to broadly ellipsoid, 1.4–1.6 × 1.2–1.3 mm, hilum region subterminal.

1 or 2, slightly obcompressed, subglobose, or ovoid, 1.4–1.7 × 1.2–1.6 mm, hilum region terminal.

2n

= 30.

Cuscuta polygonorum

Cuscuta glomerata

Phenology Flowering Jul–Oct. Flowering Jul–Oct.
Habitat margins of streams, lakes, swamps, flood plains. Hosts: Ambrosia, Asclepias, Helenium, Helianthus, Liatris, Silphium, Solidago, Symphyotrichum, Vernonia, and others.
Elevation 30–500 m. (100–1600 ft.) 100–1000 m. (300–3300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; CT; DC; DE; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; ND; NE; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; TN; TX; VA; WI; ON; QC
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[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AR; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MI; MN; MO; MS; ND; NE; OH; OK; SD; TN; TX; WI
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Inflorescences in ropelike spirals and capsules with necklike collars provide instant recognition for Cuscuta glomerata.

(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. 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. 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. 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
Name authority Engelmann: Amer. J. Sci. Arts 43: 342, plate 6, figs. 26–29. (1842) Choisy: Mém. Soc. Phys. Genève 9: 280, plate 4, fig. 1. (1842)
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