Cuscuta

Nettle Silk ( Cuscuta europaea)

Silk or dodder ( Cuscuta ) is a comprehensive over 200 kinds plant genus of the family of wind plants ( Convolvulaceae ). Other German names are Virgin Hair, Kletterhur and witches silk. The species of the genus are found worldwide, they feed parasitically on other plants. The textile fiber Silk is an animal fiber, and has nothing to do with the plants of this genus.

2.1 Outer systematics
2.2 Internal systematics

4.1 Notes and references
4.2 Literature

Description

Vegetative characteristics

The species of the genus silk ( Cuscuta ) are annual, climbing full parasites that grow on the host plants without contact with the ground. About haustoria that form along the stem, they are connected to the host and get over him nutrients. When the host is enduring, they can occasionally grow even enduring. The stalks are stringy, greenish, yellow, orange or reddish in color. The actual alternate standing leaves are reduced so much that they can not identify or only about 2 mm large scales are pronounced.

A root do not have the plants. A reduced root is still only formed after germination of the seed. Once the seedling has a suitable host plant found, but this fades. Find the seedling within its first few days no host plant, so he dies.

Inflorescences and flowers

Mostly, the inflorescences cymes, which can also be capitula or panicles, or even of a single flower exist. The inflorescences may be accompanied by up to three bracts.

The flowers are bisexual, radial symmetry and usually four or fünfzählig. The usually more or less off-white colored sepals are partially fused together, but are free from each other, 2 /5 to 3/5 of the length. The crown is usually more or less white; the corolla tube is cup-shaped to cylindrical and may be provided below the Corolla lobe with a bead or horizontal ribs. The calyx and often the crown are resistant to the fruit, with the crown then wilts.

Between the stamens are usually scaly flaps that can be upright or bent back. The ovary is upper constant, has two seed chambers, each with two ovules. The two pens are usually free from each other and are resistant to the fruit, the two scars are usually spherical in shape.

Fruit and seeds

The fruits are spherical to ovoid capsules not bounce or irregularly or rarely open a crack ring near the base. An inconspicuous opening can be located between the stylus, in this area, the fruits are often thickened and / or sublime. The fruits contain one to four seeds. These have when swollen a papillary surface, which is honeycomb- like upon drying.

System

Outer systematics

Cuscuta is the only parasitic genus in the family of wind plants. Previous workers have found the taxon therefore partly into its own family silk plants ( Cuscutaceae ). In the scheme of " Angiosperm Phylogeny Group" Cuscuta will continue to operate within the Convolvulaceae. Recent studies using molecular genetic methods confirm this classification.

Inside systematics

The genus silk ( Cuscuta ) includes over 200 species, which are divided into three subgenera. The approximately 25 species of the subgenus Cuscuta are characterized by two pens of equal length that are completely free from each other and conical transition into elongated scars. The greatest number of species has the subgenus Grammica with at least 135 to 140 species. The types have two free standing from each other, different length pen that terminate in short, often spherical scars. The approximately nine species of the subgenus Monogyma have partially or completely overgrown pen with spherical or elongated scars. The following selection is based on and, variations and additions to it are marked with detailed records.

Cuscuta africana Willd.
Cuscuta angulata Engelm.
Cuscuta natalensis Baker
Cuscuta nitida E. Mey. ex Choisy

Cuscuta capitata Roxb.

Cuscuta haussknechtii Yunck.
Cuscuta kotschyana Boiss.
Cuscuta pedicellata Ledeb.
Cuscuta pulchella Engelm.

Cuscuta abyssinica A. Rich.
Cuscuta approximata Bab.
Cuscuta babylonica diver ex Choisy
Cuscuta balansae Boiss. & Reut.
Cuscuta castroviejoi M. A. García
Flax silk ( Cuscuta epilinum consecration )
Spotted blue silk ( Cuscuta epithymum (L.) L.)
Nettle Silk ( Cuscuta europaea L.)
Cuscuta kurdica Engelm.
Cuscuta nivea M. A. García
Cuscuta planiflora Ten.
Cuscuta Pretoriana Yunck.
Cuscuta rausii M. A. García
Cuscuta rhodesiana Yunck.
Cuscuta somaliensis Yunck.
Cuscuta triumvirati Long

Cuscuta japonica Choisy
Cuscuta lehmanniana Bunge
Poplar silk ( Cuscuta lupuliformis Krock. )
Cuscuta monogyna Vahl

Cuscuta acuta Engelm.
Cuscuta applanata Engelm.
Cuscuta aristeguietae Yunck.
Cuscuta aurea Liebm.
Cuscuta australis Hook. f
Cuscuta bifurcata Yunck.
Cuscuta boldinghii Urb.
Cuscuta burrellii Yunck.
Cuscuta californica Choisy

North American silk ( Cuscuta campestris Yunck. )
Cuscuta cephalanthi Engelm.
Cuscuta chapalana Yunck.
Cuscuta chilensis Ker Gawl.
Cuscuta chinensis Lam.
Cuscuta cockerelii Yunck.
Cuscuta colombiana Yunck.
Cuscuta compacta Juss.
Cuscuta corniculata Engelm.
Cuscuta coryli Engelm.
Cuscuta corymbosa Ruiz & Pav
Cuscuta costaricensis Yunck.
Cuscuta cotijana Costea & I. García
Cuscuta cozumeliensis Yunck.
Cuscuta cristata Engelm.
Cuscuta cuspidata Engelm.
Cuscuta decipiens Yunck.
Cuscuta denticulata Engelm.
Cuscuta desmouliniana Yunck.
Cuscuta erosa Yunck.
Cuscuta floribunda Kunth
Cuscuta foetida Kunth
Cuscuta friesii Yunck.
Cuscuta glabrior ( Engelm. ) Yunck.
Cuscuta globin flora Engelm.
Cuscuta globulosa Benth.
Cuscuta glomerata Choisy
Cuscuta gracillima Engelm.
Cuscuta grandiflora Kunth
Cuscuta gronovii Willd.
Cuscuta gymnocarpa Engelm.
Cuscuta harperi Small
Cuscuta haughtii Yunck.
Cuscuta howelliana Rubtzoff
Cuscuta hyalina Roth
Cuscuta incurvata Progel
Cuscuta indecora Choisy
Cuscuta jalapaensis Schltdl.
Cuscuta Kilimanjari Olive
Cuscuta leptantha Engelm.
Cuscuta lindsay Wiggins
Cuscuta liliputana Costea & Stefanović
Cuscuta macrocephala W.Schaffn. ex Yunck.
Cuscuta macvaughii Yunck.
Cuscuta micrantha Choisy
Cuscuta microstyla Engelm.
Cuscuta mitriformis Engelm. ex Hemsl.
Cuscuta nevadensis I.M. Johnston

Cuscuta obtusiflora Kunth
Cuscuta occidentalis Millsp.
Cuscuta odontolepis Engelm.
Cuscuta odorata Ruiz & Pav
Cuscuta paitana Yunck.
Cuscuta partita Choisy
Cuscuta parodiana Yunck.
Cuscuta parviflora Engelm.
Cuscuta pentagona Engelm.
Cuscuta plattensis A. Nelson
Cuscuta platyloba Prog
Cuscuta polyanthemos W.Schaffn. ex Yunck.
Cuscuta polygonorum Engelm.
Cuscuta potosina W.Schaffn. ex S.Wats.
Cuscuta prismatica Pav ex Choisy
Cuscuta punana Costea & Stefanović
Cuscuta purpurata Phil
Cuscuta purpusii Yunck.
Cuscuta racemosa Mart.
Cuscuta rostrata Shuttlw. ex Engelm.
Cuscuta rugoiceps Yunck.
Cuscuta runyonii Yunck.
Cuscuta salina Engelm.
Cuscuta sandwichiana Choisy
Cuscuta serruloba Yunck.
Cuscuta sidarum Leibm.
Cuscuta squamata Engelm.
Cuscuta stenolepis Engelm.
Cuscuta strobilacea Leibm.
Chilean silk ( Cuscuta suaveolens Ser. )
Cuscuta subinclusa Durand & Hilg.
Cuscuta suksdorfii Yunck.
Cuscuta tasmanica Engelm.
Cuscuta tinctoria Mart. ex. Engelm.
Cuscuta tuberculata Brandegee
Cuscuta umbellata Kunth
Cuscuta umbrosa Beyrich ex. Hook.
Cuscuta vandevenderi Costea & Stefanović
Cuscuta veatchii Brandegee
Cuscuta victoriana Yunck.
Cuscuta warneri Yunck.
Cuscuta werdermanii Hunz.
Cuscuta woodsonii Yunck.
Cuscuta xanthochortos Mart. ex Engelm.
Cuscuta yucatana Yunck.

Pictures

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

North American silk ( Cuscuta campestris )

Spotted blue silk ( Cuscuta epithymum )

Nettle Silk ( Cuscuta europaea)

Poplar silk ( Cuscuta lupuliformis )

Swell

Asterids Solanales Vine Ovary (botany) Stigma (botany) Digital Object Identifier

211556