Beaked DodderSee Taxonomic Comments. The description from Gleason (1952): "Flowers 4-6 mm. long, distinctly pediceled in small head-like umbels. Calyx much shorter than the corolla-tube, its lobes triangular-ovate to broadly ovate, very obtuse. Corolla-lobes broadly ovate, erect or eventually reflexed in fruit. Capsule broadly ovoid, 4-5 mm. in diameter, narrowed above into a short beak."
This is a parasitic vine, lacking roots or true leaves, and nearly all are orange or yellow in color, twining up its host plant with the use of tiny aerial "roots". The small white flowers are in clusters along the stem. These plants should be quite familiar as a group, often presenting a tangled mass of orange vines growing over other plants. See Weakley (2018) or other references for keys to assist in identification.
The species of Cuscuta all share a few similar features, and they are difficult to separate except by mostly small characters, best seen with a hand lens or microscope.
