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Cuscuta australis
Cuscuta australis, commonly known as Australian dodder, is a herb in the family Convolvulaceae.[1] 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] DistributionAustraliaIn 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] ElsewhereIt is found widely throughout the world and considered native to Europe, tropical Asia, Africa, Australasia and temperate Asia.[4] TaxonomyC. 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. References
External linksInformation related to Cuscuta australis |
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