Tapertip Dodder (Cuscuta indecora attenuata)
Description
Waterfall tapertip dodder is a parasitic, herbaceous annual. They are leafless and do not have roots anchoring them into the ground. Instead, a padlike modified root (= haustorium) penetrates the tissue of the host plant. Stems are yellowish-orange wrapping and looping between hosts plants. The resulting appearance resembles a tangled mass of twine. Inflorescences are dense clusters of flowers. Flowers are small, white and borne on short pedicels (= stalk of a single flower) are about 1/16 inch (0.5-2.0 mm) long. Calyx is formed of five fused sepals with slender tapering lobes and is approximately 1/32 inch (1 mm) long. Corollas consist of five petals which are also fused. Petal lobes taper and curl outward. Petals are less than 1/16 inch (3 mm) long. There are five stamens which extend out of the flower above the petals. The pistil is composed of two separate styles arising from a spherical two celled ovary. Fruits are globular, yellow-brown capsules that open irregularly. Seed are small, brown, and hairless.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Solanales
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Family: Convolvulaceae
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Genus: Cuscuta
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