Cuscuta jepsonii

Jepson's dodder

Family: Convolvulaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Jepson's dodder is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, Cascade Range, and Sierra Nevada Highlands in various habitats at elevations of 1,200 to 2,300 meters. Flowering from July to September, this parasitic plant produces small fleshy flowers in compact clusters with 3 to 7 blossoms. Growing as a thread-like parasitic vine, it attaches to host plants and lacks typical stem and leaf structures. Its flowers are tiny, approximately 2 to 2.7 millimeters long, with delicate ovate-triangular lobes and a bell-shaped corolla. The fruit is nearly spherical, translucent, and contains 2 to 4 small seeds less than 1 millimeter wide.

Habitat: On

Bloom period: Jul-Sep

Elevation: 1200-2300 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoRH, CaR, SNH.

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.