Cuscuta californica
Bot. Beechey Voy., 364. 1839.
Stems yellow to orange, medium. Inflorescences dense, paniculiform-corymbiform or glomerulate; bracts at base of clusters 1, at base of pedicels 0 or 1, ovate to lanceolate, membranous, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate. Pedicels (0.5–)1–2.5 mm, sometimes papillate. Flowers 5-merous, 3–5(–5.5) mm, membranous or fleshy at base (receptacle and calyx base), not papillate, or receptacle, calyx, and corolla papillate; calyx yellow, turbinate-campanulate, 3/4 to equaling corolla tube length, divided 1/2–2/3 its length, finely reticulate, shiny, lobes triangular-ovate to lanceolate, bases overlapping, margins entire, midvein not carinate, apex acute to acuminate; corolla white, drying creamy white, 3–5 mm, tube cylindric-campanulate to obconic, 1.6–2.4 mm, not saccate or with horizontal ridges between stamen attachments, lobes reflexed, narrowly lanceolate, equaling or longer than corolla tube length, margins entire, apex acute, straight; infrastaminal scales absent; stamens exserted, shorter than corolla lobes; filaments 0.6–1.1 mm; anthers 0.6–1 × 0.3–0.5 mm; styles filiform, 1.2–2.2 mm, equaling or longer than ovary. Capsules globose, depressed-globose, or ovoid-conic, sometimes apically pointed, 1.5–2.2 × 1.8–2.5 mm, not thickened around relatively small interstylar aperture, interstylar aperture sometimes ± visible, not translucent, completely surrounded by, not capped by, withered corolla, indehiscent. Seeds 1–4, obcompressed, broadly ellipsoid to obovoid, 0.9–1.4 × 0.8–1.2 mm, papillate, hilum region lateral.
Distribution
w United States, nw Mexico.
Discussion
Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).
Selected References
None.
Lower Taxa
Key
| 1 | Capsules ovoid-conic; seeds 1. | Cuscuta californica var. apiculata |
| 1 | Capsules globose to depressed-globose; seeds (1 or)2–4. | > 2 |
| 2 | Pedicels not papillate; flowers not papillate. | Cuscuta californica var. californica |
| 2 | Pedicels papillate; flowers papillate. | Cuscuta californica var. papillosa |