Cuscuta brachycalyx
San joaquin dodder
Family: Convolvulaceae · Type: Vine · Native
Cuscuta brachycalyx (San joaquin dodder) is a native California vine in the Convolvulaceae family, recognized by scale absence and pedicellate flowers.
San joaquin dodder is a California native parasitic perennial found in the California Floristic Province in chaparral, grassland, yellow-pine, and red-fir forests at elevations generally below 2,500 meters. Flowering from April to September, this plant produces small flowers arranged in panicle-like clusters with 1 to 9 flowers, each approximately 4.5 to 6 millimeters long. Growing as a threadlike parasitic vine that attaches to host plants, it lacks typical stems and leaves, instead existing as delicate yellow to orange stringlike structures. Its tiny flowers have bell-shaped calyxes with triangular-ovate lobes and narrow bell-shaped corollas with erect triangular-lanceolate lobes that become reflexed with age. The plant produces small spheric to obovoid fruits containing 2 to 4 seeds, each about 1 millimeter wide.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 20 sympatric species; diagnostic scale absence and pedicellate flowers
Habitat and range
Habitat: On herbs, chaparral, grassland, yellow-pine, red-fir forests
Elevation: generally < 2500 m
California counties: Santa Clara, Trinity, Tulare, Merced, Placer, Riverside, Yolo, El Dorado, Colusa, Sonoma, Butte, Napa
Outside California: to Oregon
Bloom period
Cuscuta brachycalyx blooms Apr-Sep.
How to tell it apart
vs Cassytha: Cassytha has green color visible on close inspection; Cuscuta is pure orange/yellow with no green.; vs Funastrum: Funastrum has leaves and grows from the ground; Cuscuta is leafless and grows on other plants.; vs Eriogonum: Eriogonum grows from soil with visible leaves; Cuscuta wraps around other plants with no leaves.; vs Epilobium: Epilobium has green leaves and stands upright; Cuscuta is leafless orange strings on host plants.; vs Brandegea: Brandegea has tendrils and leaves; Cuscuta has no leaves, just orange thread-like stems.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cuscuta brachycalyx native to California?
Yes. Cuscuta brachycalyx is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Cuscuta brachycalyx bloom?
Cuscuta brachycalyx blooms Apr-Sep.
Where in California does Cuscuta brachycalyx grow?
Cuscuta brachycalyx occurs in Santa Clara, Trinity, Tulare, Merced, Placer, Riverside, Yolo, El Dorado and other counties, at elevations of generally < 2500 m.
What plant family does Cuscuta brachycalyx belong to?
Cuscuta brachycalyx is in the Convolvulaceae family, genus Cuscuta.
What habitat does Cuscuta brachycalyx grow in?
Cuscuta brachycalyx grows in On herbs, chaparral, grassland, yellow-pine, red-fir forests.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.