Cuscuta australis
Species of flowering plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cuscuta australis, commonly known as Australian dodder, is a herb in the family Convolvulaceae.[1]
| Australian dodder | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Solanales |
| Family: | Convolvulaceae |
| Genus: | Cuscuta |
| Species: | C. australis |
| Binomial name | |
| Cuscuta australis | |
 | |
| Occurrence data from GBIF[3] | |
| Synonyms[4] | |
|
Cuscuta obtusiflora var. australis (R.Br.) Engelm. | |
The annual parasitic twining herb or climber that is associated with many hosts. It blooms between November and March producing 5-merous[5] white-cream-yellow flowers[1] in compact clusters on pedicels which are less than 2.5 millimetres (0.1 in) long.[5] The lobes are rounded-triangular and shorter than or equal in length to the corolla tube.[5] It parasitises both native and exotic plants.[5] To maximize its seed yield, it synchronizes its flowering to that of its host plant via detection of a signaling protein in the host.[6]
Distribution
Australia
In Western Australia, it is found in a small area in the Fitzgerald River National Park in the Great Southern and Goldfields-Esperance regions of Western Australia where it grows in sandy-clay soils.[1] It is also found in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland,[5] and New Guinea[7]
Elsewhere
It is found widely throughout the world and considered native to Europe, tropical Asia, Africa, Australasia and temperate Asia.[4]
Taxonomy
C. australis was first described by Robert Brown in 1810.[2][1] The type specimen, BM00016305,[8] was collected on 25 September 1802 at Broad Sound, Queensland, Australia by Robert Brown.