Cuscuta suksdorfii
Mountain dodder
Family: Convolvulaceae · Type: perennial · Native
Mountain dodder is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Sierra Nevada Mountains, and San Bernardo Mountains on herbs in the Asteraceae family at elevations of 1,500 to 2,600 meters. Flowering from July to September, this parasitic plant produces small membranous flowers in umbel-like clusters with 2 to 7 blooms. Growing as a thin, twining parasitic vine, it attaches to host plants without roots or typical stems. Its flowers are distinctive, with a calyx larger than the corolla tube, bell-shaped structures with ovate lobes and triangular-ovate petals. The small translucent fruits contain 2 to 4 seeds, each approximately one millimeter wide.
Habitat: Generally on herbs in Asteraceae,
Bloom period: Jul-Sep
Elevation: 1500-2600 m
Bioregions: KR, n&c SNH, SnBr
California counties: San Bernardino, Mariposa, Placer, Tuolumne, Butte, Humboldt, Siskiyou, Plumas, Fresno, Tulare, Mono, Kern, Inyo
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.