The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

mountain dodder

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

Stems

yellow, slender.

yellow to orange, medium.

Inflorescences

loose, umbelliform;

bracts at base of clusters 1, at base of pedicels and/or flowers 0 or 1, ovate-lanceolate, membranous, margins entire, apex acute.

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.

Pedicels

0–2 mm.

0.3–2.5(–3.5) mm.

Flowers

4- or 5-merous, 2.8–3.3 mm, membranous, not papillate;

calyx slightly zygomorphic, creamy yellow, broadly campanulate, 1-1/3–1-1/2 corolla tube length, divided 1/2–3/5 its length, not reticulate or shiny, lobes ovate, bases not overlapping, margins entire, midvein not carinate, apex long-attenuate;

corolla white, drying creamy yellow, 2.6–3 mm, tube campanulate, 1.2–1.5 mm, not saccate, lobes suberect, triangular-ovate, longer than corolla tube length, margins entire, apex lance-attenuate, straight;

infrastaminal scales relatively poorly developed, oblong, 0.6–1 mm, 1/2–3/4 corolla tube length, bridged at 0.2–0.3 mm, usually reduced to denticulate wings, rarely 2-fid with 1–3 fimbriae on each side of filament attachments, 0.1–0.2 mm;

stamens included or barely visible through corolla sinuses, shorter than corolla lobes;

filaments 0.2–0.5 mm;

anthers 0.2–0.4 × 0.2–0.3 mm;

styles terete to slightly subulate, 0.3–0.7 mm, 1/4 ovary length.

(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.

Capsules

ellipsoid-ovoid, ovoid-conic, or globose to depressed-globose, 2–3.2 × 2–3.6 mm, not thickened or raised around relatively small interstylar aperture, translucent, proximal 1/2 surrounded by withered corolla, indehiscent.

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.

Seeds

2–4, obcompressed, subglobose, 0.8–1.1 × 0.8–1 mm, hilum subterminal.

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

2n

= 56.

Cuscuta suksdorfii

Cuscuta campestris

Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep. Flowering May–Nov.
Habitat mountain meadows. Hosts: Acanthaceae, Astera­ceae, Brassicaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Convolvulaceae, Euphor­biaceae, Fabaceae, Hydrophyllaceae, Polygona­ceae, Solanaceae, Urticaceae, Verbenaceae, and others (M. Costea and F. J. Tardif 2006).
Elevation 1500–2600 m. (4900–8500 ft.) 0–2000 m. (0–6600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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]
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. 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. squamata, C. suaveolens, C. subinclusa, C. tuberculata, C. umbellata, C. umbrosa, C. warneri
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
Synonyms C. salina var. acuminata, C. suksdorfii var. subpedicellata C. pentagona var. calycina
Name authority Yuncker: Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 18: 167. (1932) Yuncker: Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 18: 138. (1932)
Web links