Cuscuta europaea

Cuscuta europaea
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Solanales
Family: Convolvulaceae
Genus: Cuscuta
Species:
C. europaea
Binomial name
Cuscuta europaea
Synonyms
  • Cuscuta halophyta Fr.

Cuscuta europaea, the greater dodder[1] or European dodder, is a parasitic plant native to Europe, which belongs to the family Convolvulaceae, but was formerly classified in the family Cuscutaceae. It grows on Asteraceae, Cannabaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Fabaceae, Urticaceae and other herbaceous plants, including garden plants such as Coleus and Impatiens, and more occasionally on Humulus.[2] It is a notable parasite of lucerne (Medicago sativa). In many regions, including the Nepal Eastern Himalayas, this species are used as traditional medicine to treat hepatic diseases.[3]

  1. ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. ^ Poland J, Clement EJ. 2020. Vegetative Key to the British Flora. John Poland, Southamption, Second Edition.ISBN 978-0-9560-1442-9
  3. ^ O'Neill, Alexander; Rana, Santosh (2017-07-16). "An ethnobotanical analysis of parasitic plants (Parijibi) in the Nepal Himalaya". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 12 (14): 14. doi:10.1186/s13002-016-0086-y. PMC 4765049. PMID 26912113.