''Cuscuta epithymum'' (dodder, lesser dodder, hellweed, strangle-tare) is a parasitic plant assigned to the
family Cuscutaceae or
Convolvulaceae, depending on the
taxonomy. It is red-pigmented, not being
photosynthetically active. It has a filiform habit, like a group of
yarns. Its
leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
are very small, like flakes. Its
flowers, disposed in little glomerules, have a white
corolla
Corolla may refer to:
*Corolla (botany), the petals of a flower, considered as a unit
*Toyota Corolla, an automobile model name
* Corolla (headgear), an ancient headdress in the form of a circlet or crown
* ''Corolla'' (gastropod), a genus of moll ...
, with the
androecium
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...
welded to the corolla.
In
Eurasia, this species of dodder would often attach itself to the Conehead thyme (
Thymus capitatus), taking on the plant's pungency and from whence it also derived its host's Arabic name, ''al-ṣaʿitrah''.
[ -- ()] During medieval times, dodder was often used as a medicinal cure in treating
depression, but causes thirst and dryness of the mouth when consumed.
References
External links
*
*
epithymum
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
{{Solanales-stub