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October 14, 2009 : Cuscuta chinensis
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Plant Family / Families: Convolvulaceae
Scientific Name and Author: Cuscuta chinensis Lam.
Name Location: Kamala Nehru Park, India
Lindsay B. wrote today's entry:
Thank you to Jayesh Patil for submitting today's Botany Photo of the Day (original Image | Botany Photo of the Day Flickr Pool)!
Pictured here growing on an unknown host plant is Cuscuta chinensis, a twining parasitic herb native to much of Asia, Indonesia and Queensland, Australia. Commonly known as Chinese dodder, it is most often found growing on plants in the Fabaceae, Asteraceae, and Zygophyllaceae. The seeds of Cuscuta chinensis sprout in soil, however, the radicle quickly dies after germination. In the absence of foliage for photosynthesis, dodder becomes completely dependent on its host for nourishment, eventually killing its host. Common on dry, sandy slopes, Cuscuta chinensis has been identified as a contributor to accelerated desertification in areas of Nepal.
Cuscuta chinensis is considered an extremely useful and versatile herb in traditional Chinese medicine, belonging to the category of herbs that tonify/supplement the yang. The seed is used as a demulcent, diaphoretic, hepatic and tonic, while decoctions with other herbs are used in the treatment of impotence, vertigo, lumbago, leucorrhoea and decreased eyesight.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at October 14, 2009 11:15 AM
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Comments
Posted by: cody at October 14, 2009 1:52 PM
Also common in the Carribean Islands, including Jamaica. We saw it often when living there.
Posted by: Alice at October 14, 2009 1:57 PM
beautiful but deadly it would seem
thank you for the links google
does not always come up with
the answers for sure
an off question how large is your
libarary for your work and study
thank you all
Posted by: elizabeth a airhart at October 14, 2009 6:08 PM
Very interesting plant, without leaves, all stem and flowers. It looks like such a delicate little thing, with pretty little flowers. Seems in contradiction to its parasitic nature.
Posted by: Mary Ann, in Toronto at October 14, 2009 6:48 PM
I saw dodder in the southern Queensland/northern New South Wales area last month. Didn't stop to photograph it so I don't know if it was this species or a different one.
We have dodder here in California and I also noticed it on Maui last year.
Posted by: Eric in SF at October 14, 2009 7:51 PM
How does it extract nutrients from its host?
Posted by: Lynne at October 14, 2009 8:30 PM
I was wondering the same thing (as Lynne asks)... would it be little rootlet or suckerish thingies that it sends out to pierce the tissue of the host plant?
Posted by: Mary Ann, in Toronto at October 14, 2009 9:44 PM
Cuscuta uses haustoria to absorbe nutrients and water from the host plant.
Posted by: Maria Carvalho at October 15, 2009 9:40 AM
So it's a root-like structure.
Haustorium, plural Haustoria:
A specialized absorbing structure of a parasitic plant, such as the rootlike outgrowth of the dodder, that obtains food from a host plant. In parasitic fungi, haustoria are specialized hyphae that penetrate the cells of other organisms and absorb nutrients directly from them.
-- American Heritage Science Dictionary.
An interesting article here, along with a couple of striking photos of trees covered with dodder:
http://www.ci.arlington.tx.us/park/forestry/forestry_news_giantasiandodder.html
Posted by: Mary Ann, in Toronto at October 15, 2009 11:37 AM
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The host plant appears to be a species of Lantana or Lippia, but I don't know enough about Indian plants to speculate which species.