Cuscuta epithymum
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID64405b98c408e387358773 |
| Scientific name | Cuscuta epithymum |
| Authority | L. |
| First published in | Amoen. Acad. 4: 478 (1759) |
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
No commercial products are derived from Cuscuta epithymum. All documented uses concern its role as a reference material in plant–parasite research.
Industrial and craft applications:
No industrial or craft applications are reported.
Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
No food or beverage uses are reported.
Colorants and tanning:
No dye or tannin uses are reported.
Wood and fiber:
No timber or fiber uses are reported.
Fragrance and cosmetics:
No fragrance or cosmetic uses are reported.
Properties relevant to use:
The species provides fresh, accessible haustoria attached to a wide host range, making it useful for anatomical studies of host–parasite interfaces. Green stems and leaves facilitate bright-field, autofluorescence, and vital staining. Optimal fixation in FAA or glutaraldehyde preserves haustorial structures for resin embedding and microtomy. Staining with phloroglucinol–HCl highlights host lignin in penetration sites, and aniline blue detects callose. Coomassie brilliant blue identifies protein-rich interface tissues, while chloral hydrate can be used to clear tissues.
Scientific/model-organism use:
C. epithymum is employed as a laboratory model for parasitic plant biology. Host dependence, haustorium initiation, and vascular continuity are studied using callose and lignin markers. Molecular work relies on EST and RNA-seq datasets; housekeeping genes such as ACT, EF1α, and GAPDH support normalization. Protocols are developed for cutting, fixing, clearing, and staining material for microscopy, and for haustorial isolation. Meta-analyses frequently cite the species as an exemplar of holoparasitic interaction, and specimen vouchers and environmental isolates are deposited in databases for reproducibility.
Standards and regulation:
No industry-specific standards or regulatory frameworks apply.
Sustainability and sourcing:
Material is collected from wild populations in Europe and the Mediterranean. Field collection should document host species, locality, and date; voucher specimens and photographs are recommended. Laboratory use is non-commercial; no cultivation or harvest guidance is required.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Lepimenes epithymum | Raf. | Fl. Tellur. 4: 91 (1838) |
| Cuscuta europaea var. epithymum | L. | Sp. Pl. 1: 124. 1753 [1 Mai 1753] |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | clover dodder |
| English | dodder |
| English | common dodder |
| Spanish | barba de raposo |
| Spanish | epítimo |
| Spanish | azafran borde |
| Spanish | pitimini |
| Spanish | flores de tomillo |
| Spanish | cabellos de nuestro senor |
| Spanish | azafrán borde |
| Spanish | barbas de capuchino |
| Spanish | barbas de cuco |
| Spanish | barbas de hisopo |
| Spanish | epitimo |
| Arabic | شكوثا |
| Arabic | حامول السعتر |
| Arabic | صعيترة |
| Arabic | حرير الزعتر |
| Arabic | أفتيمون |
| Arabic | حامول صعتري |
| Arabic | كشوث |
| Arabic | حماض الأرنب |
| Belarusian | Павітуха чаборавая |
| Catalan | cabellets de farigola |
| Czech | kokotice povázka |
| Welsh | llindag |
| German | quendel-seide |
| German | quendelseide |
| German | klee-seide |
| Estonian | liivatee-võrm |
| Basque | kuskula |
| Persian | سس شبدری |
| Finnish | nurmivieras |
| Finnish | apilanvieras |
| French | cuscute du thym |
| French | petite cuscute |
| Galician | barbas de raposo |
| Galician | liño de raposo |
| Armenian | Գաղձ սովորական |
| Cornish | safron an jowl |
| Lithuanian | smulkusis brantas |
| Macedonian | вилина косица |
| Norwegian Bokmål | timiansnyltetråd |
| Dutch | klein warkruid |
| Dutch | duivelsnaaigaren |
| Norwegian Nynorsk | timiansnikjetråd |
| Polish | kanianka macierzankowa |
| Portuguese | cabelos |
| Russian | Повилика тимьяновая |
| Slovak | kukučina dúšková |
| Swedish | ljungsnärja |
| Chinese | 百里香菟丝子 |
Subspecies (abbr. subsp./ssp.) Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Cuscuta epithymum subsp. epithymum | Unknown |
Varieties (abbr. var.) Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Cuscuta epithymum var. alba | (J.Presl & C.Presl) Trab. | Bull. Soc. Bot. France 53(sess. extr.): 37 (1907) |
| Cuscuta epithymum var. kotschyi | (Des Moul.) Engelm. | Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis 1(3): 463 1859 |
| Cuscuta epithymum var. macranthera | (Heldr. & Sartoni) Engelm. | Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis 1(3): 462 1859 |
| Cuscuta epithymum var. rubella | (Engelm.) Trab. | Bull. Soc. Bot. France 53(sess. extr.): 37 (1907) |
| Cuscuta epithymum var. scabrella | (Engelm.) Yunck. | Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 18: 287 (1932) |
Germination/Propagation Top
Suggest a correction or add new data!
No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
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Africa click to expand
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Macaronesia
- Canary Islands
- Madeira
- Selvagens
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Northern Africa
- Algeria
- Libya
- Morocco
- Tunisia
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Southern Africa
- Cape Provinces
- Northern Provinces
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Macaronesia
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Asia-temperate click to expand
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Caucasus
- North Caucasus
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China
- Xinjiang
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Middle Asia
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- Turkmenistan
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Russian Far East
- Primorye
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Siberia
- Altay
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Western Asia
- Afghanistan
- East Aegean Islands
- Iran
- Lebanon-Syria
- Palestine
- Turkey
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Caucasus
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Australasia click to expand
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Australia
- New South Wales
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New Zealand
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Australia
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Europe click to expand
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Eastern Europe
- Baltic States
- Belarus
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Middle Europe
- Austria
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Northern Europe
- Denmark
- Finland
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Southeastern Europe
- Albania
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Southwestern Europe
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Eastern Europe
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Northern America click to expand
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Eastern Canada
- New Brunswick
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North-central U.S.A.
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Northeastern U.S.A.
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Northwestern U.S.A.
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Southwestern U.S.A.
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Western Canada
- British Columbia
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Eastern Canada
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Southern America click to expand
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Southern South America
- Argentina Northeast
- Chile Central
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Southern South America
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0001296657 |
| Canadensys | 4626 |
| USDA Plants | CUEP |
| Tropicos | 8500035 |
| INPN | 93621 |
| Flora of Italy | 4202 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:267419-1 |
| The Plant List | tro-8500035 |
| Plantarium | 12208 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 1053792 |
| Observations.org | 2464 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 186058 |
| NBN Atlas | NBNSYS0000004030 |
| Nature Serve | 2.144389 |
| IPNI | 267419-1 |
| iNaturalist | 56933 |
| GBIF | 2927518 |
| Freebase | /m/03d2hf2 |
| EPPO | CVCEY |
| EOL | 580990 |
| Elurikkus | 4176 |
| USDA GRIN | 311579 |
| Wikipedia | Cuscuta_epithymum |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
Below is displayed the reference genome only!
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
| Accession | Assembly | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Level | Submitter | Released | Coverage | Size | |
| GCA_965620575.2 | daCusEpit1.2 | Chromosome | WELLCOME SANGER INSTITUTE | 2026-04-25 | 83 | 489.38 Mb |
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Phytochemical Profile Top
Add a new one!
No natural compounds are linked yet. If you wish to help please use this tool.
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |