Cassytha filiformis | |
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C. filiformis at Kanaio Beach, Maui, Hawaii | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Magnoliids |
Order: | Laurales |
Family: | Lauraceae |
Genus: | Cassytha |
Species: | C. filiformis
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Binomial name | |
Cassytha filiformis | |
Synonyms[3] | |
List
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Cassytha filiformis or love-vine is an orangish, wiry, parasitic vine in the family Lauraceae.[3] It is found in coastal forests of warm tropical regions worldwide including the Americas, Indomalaya, Australasia, Polynesia and tropical Africa.[4][5][6]
It is an obligate parasite, meaning it cannot complete its life-cycle without another host plant. Research in Florida (in southeast United States) has found that love-vine inhibits gall wasps by attacking the galls (small growths on plants) that the wasps create for their young.