Cuscuta sandwichiana

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

Grammica sandwichiana (Choisy) O.Deg., I.Deg., Hadac & Chrtek

Cuscuta sandwichiana (Kauna'oa kahakai) is a parasitic vine and the only member of the genus Cuscuta that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.[1] It parasitizes a wide variety of indigenous, endemic and introduced plants on all of the main Hawaiian islands. It grows in coastal areas with sandy soils from sea level elevation to 975 feet.[2][3] The indigenous kaunaʻoa pehu (literally "swollen kaunaʻoa") Cassytha filiformis is a similar-looking species with the same parasitic nature. It is an unrelated plant in the Laurel family Lauraceae which can be distinguished by it larger, coarser yellowish-green stems.[4]

  1. ^ Bohm, Bruce A. "Flowering Plants of Hawaii". Floridata Plant Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on April 28, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  2. ^ Wagner, Warren L. (1990). Manual of the flowering plants of Hawai'i (Bishop Museum Special Publication 83 ed.). Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press / Bishop Museum Press. pp. 582–583.
  3. ^ "Cuscuta sandwichiana". Hawaiian Native Plant Propagation Database. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  4. ^ "Cuscuta sandwichiana". Hawaiian Native Plant Propagation Database. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2015.