Cuscuta
Cuscuta europaea on Sambucus ebulus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Solanales Family: Convolvulaceae Genus: Cuscuta L.
Species
About 100-170 species, including: Cuscuta americana Cuscuta applanata Cuscuta approximata Cuscuta attenuata Cuscuta australis Cuscuta boldinghii Cuscuta brachycalyx Cuscuta californica Cuscuta campestris Cuscuta cassytoides Cuscuta ceanothi Cuscuta cephalanthi Cuscuta chinensis Cuscuta compacta Cuscuta coryli Cuscuta corylii Cuscuta cuspidata Cuscuta decipiens Cuscuta dentatasquamata Cuscuta denticulata Cuscuta epilinum Cuscuta epithymum Cuscuta erosa Cuscuta europaea Cuscuta exaltata Cuscuta fasciculata Cuscuta gigantea Cuscuta globulosa Cuscuta glomerata Cuscuta gronovii Cuscuta harperi Cuscuta howelliana Cuscuta indecora Cuscuta indesora Cuscuta japonica Cuscuta jepsoni Cuscuta leptantha Cuscuta lupuliformis Cuscuta macrolepis Cuscuta megalocarpa Cuscuta monogyna Cuscuta mitriformis Cuscuta obtusiflora Cuscuta odontolepis Cuscuta pentagona Cuscuta plattensis Cuscuta polygonorum Cuscuta potosina Cuscuta potosona Cuscuta reflexa Cuscuta rostrata Cuscuta runyonii Cuscuta salina Cuscuta sandwichiana Cuscuta squamata Cuscuta suaveolens Cuscuta suksdorfii Cuscuta tuberculata Cuscuta umbellata Cuscuta vivipara Cuscuta warneri

Cuscuta (Dodder) is a genus of about 100-170 species of yellow, orange or red (rarely green) parasitic plants. Danewort ( Sambucus ebulus) also known as Dwarf Elder or European Dwarf Elder and Walewort is a Herbaceous species of elder Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group Magnoliopsida is the Botanical name for a class of Flowering plants By definition the class will include the family Magnoliaceae, but its The Solanales are an order of Flowering plants included in the asterid group of Dicotyledons Some older sources used the name Polemoniales The Convolvulaceae, known commonly as the Bindweed or Morning glory family, is a group of about 60 genera and more than 1650 species of mostly Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for Cuscuta approximata is a species of dodder known by the common name alfalfa dodder. Cuscuta californica is a species of dodder known by the common names chaparral dodder and California dodder. Cuscuta epithymum (L L ( Dodder, Hellweed, Strangle-tare, called in Spain azafrán borde o cabellos de monte) is The Greater Dodder ( Cuscuta europaea) is a Parasitic plant native to Europe, which belongs to the family Convolvulaceae, but was formerly Cuscuta pentagona is a parasitic plant which is placed in the family Convolvulaceae, but was formerly classified in the family Cuscutaceae. A parasitic plant is one that derives some or all of its sustenance from another plant Formerly treated as the only genus in the family Cuscutaceae, recent genetic research by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group has shown that it is correctly placed in the family Convolvulaceae. The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, or APG, refers to two international groups of systematic botanists who came together to try to establish a consensus view of the The Convolvulaceae, known commonly as the Bindweed or Morning glory family, is a group of about 60 genera and more than 1650 species of mostly The genus is found throughout the temperate to tropical regions of the world, with the greatest species diversity in subtropical and tropical regions; the genus becomes rare in cool temperate climates, with e. g. only four species native to northern Europe.

Old folk names include devil's guts, devil's hair, devil's ringlet, goldthread, hailweed, hairweed, hellbine, love vine, pull-down, strangleweed, and witch's hair. ^[1]

Appearance

Dodder can be identified by its thin stems appearing leafless, with the leaves reduced to minute scales. In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis. It has very low levels of chlorophyll; some species such as Cuscuta reflexa can photosynthesize slightly, while others such as C. Chlorophyll is a green Pigment found in most Plants Algae and Cyanobacteria. europaea are entirely dependent on the host plants for nutrition ^[2].

Cuscuta europaea in flower

Dodder flowers range in color from white to pink to yellow to cream. A flower, also known as a bloom or Blossom, is the reproductive structure found in Flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also Some flower in the early summer, others later, depending on the species. The seeds are minute and produced in large quantities. A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored They have a hard seed coating, and can survive in the soil for 5-10 years or more.

Dodder seeds sprout at or near the surface of the soil. While dodder germination can occur without a host, it has to reach a green plant quickly; dodder grows toward the smell of nearby plants. Germination is the process whereby growth emerges from a period of dormancy ^[1] If a plant is not reached within 5 to 10 days of germination, the dodder seedling will die. Before a host plant is reached, the dodder, as other plants, relies on food reserves in the embryo; the cotyledons, though present, are vestigial ^[3]. A cotyledon ("seed leaf" from Greek: κοτυληδών kotylēdōn, from κοτύλη ''kotýlē'', "cup bowl"

Cuscuta on acacia tree in Punjab Pakistan

Parasitism

After a dodder attaches itself to a plant, it wraps itself around it. The Punjab ( Urdu:) province of If the host contains food beneficial to dodder, the dodder produces haustoria that insert themselves into the vascular system of the host. In botany a haustorium (plural haustoria) is the Hyphal tip of a parasitic Fungus or of the root of a Parasitic plant (such The original root of the dodder in the soil then dies. The dodder can grow and attach itself to multiple plants. In tropical areas it can grow more or less continuously, and may reach high into the canopy of shrubs and trees; in temperate regions it is an annual plant and is restricted to relatively low vegetation that can be reached by new seedlings each spring. Botanically an annual plant is a Plant that usually germinates, Flowers and dies in one Year.

Dodder is parasitic on a very wide variety of plants, including a number of agricultural and horticultural crop species, such as alfalfa, lespedeza, flax, clover, potatoes, chrysanthemum, dahlia, helenium, trumpet vine, ivy and petunias, among others. Alfalfa ( Medicago sativa) is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop Lespedeza is a genus of about 30 species of Flowering plants in the Pea family Fabaceae, commonly known as Bush clover Flax (also known as common flax or linseed) (binomial name Linum usitatissimum) is a member of the genus Linum Alsike redirects here Alsike Sweden is also a town in the Knivsta Municipality, Sweden. The potato is a Starchy Tuberous crop Vegetable from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae Chrysanthemums, often called 'mums' are a genus ( Chrysanthemum) of about 30 species of perennial Flowering plants in the family Asteraceae Dahlia is a Genus of bushy tuberous, Perennial plants native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia. Helenium is a Genus of about 40 herbaceous Flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae, native to North America and Central The Trumpet vine or Trumpet creeper ( Campsis radicans) also known as "Cow itch vine" is a large and vigorous woody Vine of the family Hedera (English name ivy, plural ivies) is a genus of 15 species of climbing or ground-creeping Evergreen woody plants in the family For Petunia Pig, a Looney Tunes character see Petunia Pig For Aunt Petunia see Aunt Petunia For

Dodder ranges in severity based on its species and the species of the host, the time of attack, and whether any viruses are also present in the host plant. By debilitating the host plant, dodder decreases the ability of plants to resist virus diseases, and dodder can also spread plant diseases from one host to another if it is attached to more than one plant.

Host finding

A report published in Science (Vol 313; Sept. 29, 2006) by Runyon, Mescher, and De Moraes, researchers at Penn State University, demonstrates that dodder use airborne (volatile) chemical cues to locate their host plants. Seedlings of Cuscuta pentagona exhibit positive growth responses to volatiles released by tomato and other species of host plants. When given a choice between volatiles released by the preferred host tomato and the non-host wheat, the parasite exhibited preferential growth toward the former. Further experiments demonstrated attraction to a number of individual compounds released by host plants and repellance by one compound released by wheat. These results do not rule out the possibility that other cues (e. g. , light) may also play a role in host location. "Parasitic weed seems to smell its prey" [1]

Prevention and treatment

This dodder is engulfing a sage in the Mojave Desert.

Many nations have laws prohibiting import of dodder seed, requiring crop seeds to be free of dodder seed contamination. A nation is a Human Cultural and Social Community. In as much as most members never meet each other yet feel a common bond it may be considered Before planting, all clothes should be inspected for dodder seed when moving from an infested area to a non-infested crop. When dealing with an infested area, swift action is necessary. Recommendations include planting a non-host crop for several years after the infestation, pulling up host crops immediately, particularly before the dodder produces seed, and use of preemergent herbicides like Dacthal in the spring. Preemergent herbicides prevent the Germination of seeds by inhibiting a key Enzyme. Examples of non-host crops include grasses and many other monocotyledons. Poaceae or Gramineae is a family in the Class Liliopsida of the flowering plants. Monocotyledons or monocots are one of two major groups of Flowering plants (angiosperms that are traditionally recognised the other being Dicotyledons If dodder is found before it chokes a host plant, simply remove the dodder from the soil. If not, make sure to prune the plants significantly lower than the dodder, because dodder is versatile and can grow back if present from haustoria. In botany a haustorium (plural haustoria) is the Hyphal tip of a parasitic Fungus or of the root of a Parasitic plant (such

It may also be possible to repel dodder with certain smells, which could mean a much simpler way to prevent the vine from destroying crops.

Cuscuta spec. , Garden of the Gods Wilderness, Shawnee National Forest, South Illinois, USA, 2000

Cuscuta spec. , Garden of the Gods Wilderness, Shawnee National Forest, South Illinois, USA, 2000

Cuscuta spec. , Garden of the Gods Wilderness, Shawnee National Forest, South Illinois, USA, 2000

References

Further reading

• Everitt, J. H. ; Lonard, R. L. , Little, C. R. (2007). Weeds in South Texas and Northern Mexico. Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press.   ISBN 0-89672-614-2

External links

• Costea, M. 2007-onwards. Digital Atlas of Cuscuta (Convolvulaceae)
• Cuscuta at National Public Radio
• Flora of China: Cuscuta
• Lanini, W. T. , et al. Dodder. Pest Notes Jan 2002: 1-3. 15 July 2005. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Christian soldiers take the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Online (pdf file).
• Swift, C. E. Cuscuta and Grammica species - Dodder: A Plant Parasite. Colorado State University Cooperative Extension. Online.
• Dodder (Cuscuta species). Weed Listings. 2005. Online.
• Medicinal uses of Cuscuta in Armenia
• "Parasitic weed seems to smell its prey"