E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Cuscuta epithymum (L.) L.
common dodder (clover dodder; thyme dodder)
Convolvulaceae (Dodder family)
(Previously in Cuscutaceae)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Cuscuta epithymum
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Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Parasitic, leafless perennial herb; stems threadlike, twining and sticking to other plants by means of suckers.

Leaves:
Reduced to tiny scales.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of several to many stalkless, often purplish-tinged flowers in clusters or globular masses; flowers 2.5-3 mm long, with 5 petals/sepals; calyx lobes longer than wide, membranous; corolla tubes longer than the calyces; stigmas long-pointed.

Fruits:
Capsules spherical, opening in an irregularly circular fashion near the base; seeds 4.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Parasitic, especially on legumes, in the lowland and steppe zones; infrequent in SW and SC BC; introduced from Eurasia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Status Information

Scientific Name	Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Cuscuta epithymum	Exotic	SNA	Exotic	Not Listed
Cuscuta epithymum var. epithymum		SNA	Exotic	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer
USDA

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-12-11 6:26:59 PM ]

Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.