220 Species in Genus Cuscuta

The Curious Case of Cuscuta: A Plant That Lives on the Edge

I’ve always been fascinated by plants that push the boundaries of what we consider normal. Forget your roses and your lilies, I’m drawn to the strange and unusual, the botanical rebels that challenge our understanding of the natural world. And few plants fit that description better than Cuscuta, a genus of parasitic plants belong to the Convolvulaceae family that have captivated my attention for years.

You might know Cuscuta by its more common name: dodder. It’s an apt descriptor, as these plants appear to “dodder” over their host plants, their thread-like stems forming a tangled, almost chaotic mass. But beneath this seemingly haphazard growth lies a fascinating strategy for survival.

Unlike most plants, Cuscuta lacks chlorophyll. That vibrant green pigment that allows plants to harness the sun’s energy? Dodder doesn’t have it. This means it can’t produce its own food through photosynthesis. So how does it survive? By becoming a parasite, of course.

Using specialized structures called haustoria, Cuscuta taps into the vascular system of its host, siphoning off water and nutrients. It’s a rather ruthless approach to life, but undeniably effective. And while it might seem like a simple process, the intricate dance between parasite and host is a marvel of evolutionary adaptation.

A Diverse Family of Freeloaders

The genus Cuscuta is surprisingly diverse, with over 200 recognized species scattered across the globe. From the fields of Europe to the deserts of Africa, these botanical parasites have carved out a niche for themselves in a variety of ecosystems:

1. Cuscuta abyssinica A.Rich.
2. Cuscuta acadiana Costea & Stefanović
3. Cuscuta acuta Engelm.
4. Cuscuta acutiloba Engelm.
5. Cuscuta africana Willd.
6. Cuscuta alata Brandegee
7. Cuscuta alataloba Yunck.
8. Cuscuta americana L.
9. Cuscuta andina Phil.
10. Cuscuta angulata Engelm.
11. Cuscuta appendiculata Engelm.
12. Cuscuta approximata Bab.
13. Cuscuta argentinana Yunck.
14. Cuscuta atrans Feinbrun
15. Cuscuta australis R.Br.
16. Cuscuta azteca Costea & M.A.R.Wright
17. Cuscuta babylonica Aucher ex Choisy
18. Cuscuta balansae Boiss. & Reut. ex Yunck.
19. Cuscuta basarabica Buia
20. Cuscuta bella Yunck.
21. Cuscuta bifurcata Yunck.
22. Cuscuta blepharolepis Welw. ex Hiern
23. Cuscuta boldinghii Urb.
24. Cuscuta boliviana Yunck.
25. Cuscuta bonafortunae Costea & I.García
26. Cuscuta brachycalyx (Yunck.) Yunck.
27. Cuscuta bracteata Engelm.
28. Cuscuta brevistyla A.Braun ex A.Rich.
29. Cuscuta bucharica Palib.
30. Cuscuta burrellii Yunck.
31. Cuscuta californica Hook. & Arn.
32. Cuscuta callinema Butkov
33. Cuscuta camelorum Pavlov
34. Cuscuta campestris Yunck.
35. Cuscuta capitata Roxb.
36. Cuscuta carnosa Costea & I.García
37. Cuscuta cassytoides Nees ex Engelm.
38. Cuscuta castroviejoi M.A.García
39. Cuscuta cephalanthi Engelm.
40. Cuscuta chapalana Yunck.
41. Cuscuta chilensis Ker Gawl.
42. Cuscuta chinensis Lam.
43. Cuscuta chittagongensis Sengupta, M.S.Khan & Huq
44. Cuscuta choisiana Yunck.
45. Cuscuta cockerellii Yunck.
46. Cuscuta colombiana Yunck.
47. Cuscuta compacta Juss. ex Choisy
48. Cuscuta convallariiflora Pavlov
49. Cuscuta corniculata Engelm.
50. Cuscuta coryli Engelm.
51. Cuscuta corymbosa Ruiz & Pav.
52. Cuscuta costaricensis Yunck.
53. Cuscuta cotijana Costea & I.García
54. Cuscuta cozumeliensis Yunck.
55. Cuscuta cristata Engelm.
56. Cuscuta cuspidata Engelm.
57. Cuscuta decipiens Yunck.
58. Cuscuta deltoidea Yunck.
59. Cuscuta dentatasquamata Yunck.
60. Cuscuta denticulata Engelm.
61. Cuscuta desmouliniana Yunck.
62. Cuscuta difficilis Stefanovic & Costea
63. Cuscuta draconella Costea & M.A.R.Wright
64. Cuscuta durangana Yunck.
65. Cuscuta elpassiana Pavlov
66. Cuscuta epilinum Weihe
67. Cuscuta epithymum (L.) L.
68. Cuscuta erosa Yunck.
69. Cuscuta europaea L.
70. Cuscuta exaltata Engelm.
71. Cuscuta ferganensis Butkov
72. Cuscuta flossdorfii Hicken
73. Cuscuta foetida Kunth
74. Cuscuta friesii Yunck.
75. Cuscuta gennesaretana Sroëlov ex Feinbr. & S.Taub
76. Cuscuta gerrardii Baker
77. Cuscuta gigantea Griff.
78. Cuscuta glabrior (Engelm.) Yunck.
79. Cuscuta globiflora Engelm.
80. Cuscuta globosa Ridl.
81. Cuscuta globulosa Benth.
82. Cuscuta glomerata Choisy
83. Cuscuta goyaziana Yunck.
84. Cuscuta gracillima Engelm.
85. Cuscuta grandiflora Kunth
86. Cuscuta gronovii Willd. ex Schult.
87. Cuscuta gymnocarpa Engelm.
88. Cuscuta harperi Small
89. Cuscuta haughtii Yunck.
90. Cuscuta haussknechtii Yunck.
91. Cuscuta hitchcockii Yunck.
92. Cuscuta howelliana P.Rubtzov
93. Cuscuta hyalina Roth
94. Cuscuta iguanella Costea & I.García
95. Cuscuta incurvata Progel
96. Cuscuta indecora Choisy
97. Cuscuta insolita Costea & I.García
98. Cuscuta insquamata Yunck.
99. Cuscuta jalapensis Schltdl.
100. Cuscuta janarthanamii Kolte, A.Deshp. & Kambale
101. Cuscuta japonica Choisy
102. Cuscuta jepsonii Yunck.
103. Cuscuta karatavica Pavlov
104. Cuscuta kilimanjari Oliv.
105. Cuscuta kotschyana Boiss.
106. Cuscuta krishnae Udayan & Robi
107. Cuscuta kurdica Engelm.
108. Cuscuta lacerata Yunck.
109. Cuscuta legitima Costea & M.A.R.Wright
110. Cuscuta lehmanniana Bunge
111. Cuscuta leptantha Engelm.
112. Cuscuta letourneuxii Trab.
113. Cuscuta liliputana Costea & M.A.R.Wright
114. Cuscuta lindsayi Wiggins
115. Cuscuta longiloba Yunck.
116. Cuscuta lophosepala Butkov
117. Cuscuta lucidicarpa Yunck.
118. Cuscuta lupuliformis Krock.
119. Cuscuta macrocephala Schaffner ex Yuncker
120. Cuscuta macrolepis R.C.Fang & S.H.Huang
121. Cuscuta macvaughii Yunck.
122. Cuscuta mantiqueirana Costea, S.S.Silva & Sim.-Bianch.
123. Cuscuta maroccana Trab.
124. Cuscuta membranacea Yunck.
125. Cuscuta mesatlantica Dobignard
126. Cuscuta mexicana Yunck.
127. Cuscuta micrantha Choisy
128. Cuscuta microstyla Engelm.
129. Cuscuta mitriformis Engelm. ex Hemsl.
130. Cuscuta modesta Costea & M.A.R.Wright
131. Cuscuta monogyna Vahl
132. Cuscuta montana Costea & M.A.R.Wright
133. Cuscuta natalensis Baker
134. Cuscuta nevadensis I.M.Johnst.
135. Cuscuta nitida E.Mey. ex Choisy
136. Cuscuta nivea M.A.García
137. Cuscuta obtusata (Engelm.) Trab.
138. Cuscuta obtusiflora Kunth
139. Cuscuta occidentalis Millsp.
140. Cuscuta odontolepis Engelm.
141. Cuscuta odorata Ruiz & Pav.
142. Cuscuta orbiculata Yunck.
143. Cuscuta ortegana Yunck.
144. Cuscuta pacifica Costea & M.A.R.Wright
145. Cuscuta paitana Yunck.
146. Cuscuta palaestina Boiss.
147. Cuscuta palustris Yunck.
148. Cuscuta pamirica Butkov
149. Cuscuta parodiana Yunck.
150. Cuscuta partita Choisy
151. Cuscuta parviflora Engelm.
152. Cuscuta pauciflora Phil.
153. Cuscuta pedicellata Ledeb.
154. Cuscuta pellucida Butkov
155. Cuscuta pentagona Engelm.
156. Cuscuta peruviana Yunck.
157. Cuscuta planiflora Ten.
158. Cuscuta plattensis A.Nelson
159. Cuscuta platyloba Progel
160. Cuscuta polyanthemos Schaffner ex Yuncker
161. Cuscuta polygonorum Engelm.
162. Cuscuta potosina Schaffner ex S.Watson
163. Cuscuta prismatica Pav. ex Choisy
164. Cuscuta psorothamnensis Stefanovic, M.A.García & Costea
165. Cuscuta pulchella Engelm.
166. Cuscuta punana Costea & M.A.R.Wright
167. Cuscuta purpurata Phil.
168. Cuscuta purpusii Yunck.
169. Cuscuta pusilla Phil. ex Yunck.
170. Cuscuta racemosa Mart.
171. Cuscuta rausii M.A.García
172. Cuscuta reflexa Roxb.
173. Cuscuta rojasii Hunz.
174. Cuscuta rostrata Shuttlew. ex Engelm. & A.Gray
175. Cuscuta rostricarpa Yunck.
176. Cuscuta rotundiflora Hunz.
177. Cuscuta rubella Yunck.
178. Cuscuta rugosiceps Yunck.
179. Cuscuta runyonii Yunck.
180. Cuscuta ruschanica Yunusov
181. Cuscuta rustica Hunz.
182. Cuscuta salina Engelm.
183. Cuscuta sandwichiana Choisy
184. Cuscuta santapaui Banerji & S.Das
185. Cuscuta saururi Engelm.
186. Cuscuta scandens Brot.
187. Cuscuta schlechteri Yunck.
188. Cuscuta serrata Yunck.
189. Cuscuta sharmanum Mukerjee & P.K.Bhattach.
190. Cuscuta sidarum Liebm.
191. Cuscuta somaliensis Yunck.
192. Cuscuta squamata Engelm.
193. Cuscuta stenocalycina Palib.
194. Cuscuta stenolepis Engelm.
195. Cuscuta strobilacea Liebm.
196. Cuscuta suaveolens Ser.
197. Cuscuta subinclusa Durand & Hilg.
198. Cuscuta suksdorfii Yunck.
199. Cuscuta syrtorum Arbajeva
200. Cuscuta taimensis P.P.A.Ferreira & Dettke
201. Cuscuta tasmanica Engelm.
202. Cuscuta tatei Yunck.
203. Cuscuta timida Costea & M.A.R.Wright
204. Cuscuta timorensis Decne. ex Engelm.
205. Cuscuta tinctoria Mart. ex Engelm.
206. Cuscuta tolteca Costea & M.A.R.Wright
207. Cuscuta triumvirati Lange
208. Cuscuta tuberculata Brandegee
209. Cuscuta umbellata Kunth
210. Cuscuta vandevenderi Costea & M.A.R.Wright
211. Cuscuta veatchii Brandegee
212. Cuscuta victoriana Yunck.
213. Cuscuta violacea Rajput & Syeda
214. Cuscuta volcanica Costea & I.García
215. Cuscuta warneri Yunck.
216. Cuscuta werdermannii Hunz.
217. Cuscuta woodsonii Yunck.
218. Cuscuta xanthochortos Mart. ex Engelm.
219. Cuscuta yucatana Yunck.
220. Cuscuta yunckeriana Hunz.

More Than Just a Parasite

While Cuscuta might be best known for its parasitic lifestyle, there’s more to this genus than meets the eye. Recent research has revealed that dodder can also act as a conduit for the transfer of genetic information between its host plants. This horizontal gene transfer, as it’s known, has the potential to play a significant role in plant evolution.

Furthermore, Cuscuta has a long history of use in traditional medicine. In various cultures, it has been used to treat ailments ranging from liver disease to skin infections. While more research is needed to fully understand its medicinal properties, the potential is certainly there.

The Beauty of Adaptation

For me, Cuscuta represents the incredible adaptability of life. It’s a reminder that even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges, organisms can find a way to not only survive but thrive. By abandoning the traditional path of photosynthesis, Cuscuta has carved out a unique niche for itself in the world.

It’s a plant that challenges our assumptions about what it means to be “alive.” It’s a parasite, yes, but it’s also a survivor, an innovator, and a testament to the endless creativity of evolution. And that, to me, is truly fascinating.