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Electronic Flora of South Australia species Fact Sheet

Family: Convolvulaceae
Cuscuta epithymum

Citation: L., Syst. Veg. edn 13:140 (1774).

Synonymy: C. europaea L. var. epilhymum L., Sp. Pl. 124 (1753).

Common name: Lesser dodder.

Description:
Stems slender, paleyellow, reddish or purple.

Inflorescence axillary, subtended by a concave triangular obtuse bract c. 2 mm long; flowers 5-merous in very compact clusters up to 10 mm diam.; pedicels absent or very short, up to 0.5 mm; calyx more or less equalling the corolla tube, 1.8-2.5 mm long, lobes unequal, ovate-triangular, acute, much longer than the tube; corolla 2.5-4 mm long, lobes triangular, acute, more or less equalling the tube; stamens with filaments 0.5-0.8 mm long, slightly longer than the anthers; infrastaminal scales oblong, shorter or more or less equalling the corolla tube, with very short fimbriae; styles including the shorter linear tapering stigma c. 1.5 mm long.

Capsule subglobose, c. 2 mm diam., circumscissile dehiscence; seeds c. 1 mm long.

image of FSA3_Cuscuta_epi.jpg Pistil.
Image source: fig. 527D in Jessop J.P. & Toelken H.R. (Ed.) 1986. Flora of South Australia (4th edn).

Published illustration: Ross-Craig (1965) Drawings Brit. Pl. 21:pl. 27.

Distribution:  S.Aust.: SL, SE.   Native to Europe and the Old World Mediterranean region; widely naturalised throughout the world.

Conservation status: naturalised

Flowering time: mainly Oct. — Feb.


SA Distribution Map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: Parasite on mainly leguminous herbs.

Author: Not yet available


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