Taxon:  Cuscuta planiflora Ten.



Summary
Genus:
Cuscuta
Family:
Convolvulaceae
Tribe:
Cuscuteae
Nomen number:
12688
Place of publication:
Fl. napol. 3:250.  1824-1829
Verified:
09/07/2004 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
0 (0  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System. 
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Images (2 total. Click on image for more.)
Seeds

Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. Ali, S. I. & S. M. H. Jafri, eds. 1976-. Flora of Libya.
  2. Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae.
  3. Cufodontis, G. 1953-1972. Enumeratio plantarum aethiopiae: Spermatophyta.
  4. Davis, P. H., ed. 1965-1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands.
  5. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
  6. Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
  7. Gibbs Russell, G. E. et al. 1985, 1987. List of species of Southern African plants, ed. 2. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa Note: v. 51. 1985; v. 56. 1987
  8. Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
  9. Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
  10. Hansen, A. & P. Sunding. 1993. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants, ed. 4. Sommerfeltia vol. 17.
  11. Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
  12. Hnatiuk, R. J. 1990. Census of Australian vascular plants. Australian Flora and Fauna Series No. 11.
  13. Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
  14. Jahandiez, E. & R. Maire. 1931-1941. Catalogue des plantes du Maroc.
  15. Jardin botanique national de Belgique. 1967-. Flore du Congo, du Rwanda et du Burundi (Flore d'Afrique centrale).
  16. Lazarides, M. & B. Hince. 1993. CSIRO Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia
  17. Merxmüller, H., ed. 1966-1972. Prodromus einer flora von Sudwestafrika.
  18. Middleditch, B. S. & A. M. Amer. 1991. Kuwaiti plants: distribution, traditional medicine, phytochemistry,... economic value (Studies in Plant Science 2).
  19. Musselman, L. J. 1986. The genus Cuscuta in Virginia. Castanea 51:188-196. Note: mentions as a serious problem for clover and other legumes
  20. Musselman, L. J. 1996. Parasitic weeds in the Southern United States. Castanea 61:271-292. Note: this article cites Cuscuta planiflora introduced to the Pacific NW; in page 286, it comments on humans as main dispersers of parasatic seeds, especially during seed shipments as in the case of Cuscuta pentagona and other species
  21. Täckholm, V. 1974. Students' flora of Egypt, ed. 2.
  22. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
  23. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
  24. Western Australian Herbarium. FloraBase²: the Western Australian flora (on-line resource).
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishsmall-seed alfalfa dodder  1Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
Portuguese (Brazil)cipó-de-chumbo  2Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Portuguese (Brazil)espaguete  2Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaKenya  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaTanzania  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaUganda  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaMacaronesiaPortugalMadeira Islands Hansen, A. & P. Sunding. 1993. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants, ed. 4. Sommerfeltia vol. 17.
1NativeAfricaMacaronesiaSpainCanarias Hansen, A. & P. Sunding. 1993. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants, ed. 4. Sommerfeltia vol. 17.
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaEritrea  Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaEthiopia  Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaAlgeria  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaEgypt  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaLibya  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaMorocco  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaTunisia  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaAngola  Jardin botanique national de Belgique. 1967-. Flore du Congo, du Rwanda et du Burundi (Flore d'Afrique centrale).
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZambia  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZimbabwe  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaNamibia  Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaGauteng Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaLimpopo Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaBurundi  Jardin botanique national de Belgique. 1967-. Flore du Congo, du Rwanda et du Burundi (Flore d'Afrique centrale).
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaDemocratic Republic of the Congo  Jardin botanique national de Belgique. 1967-. Flore du Congo, du Rwanda et du Burundi (Flore d'Afrique centrale).
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaRwanda  Jardin botanique national de Belgique. 1967-. Flore du Congo, du Rwanda et du Burundi (Flore d'Afrique centrale).
1NativeAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaKuwait  Middleditch, B. S. & A. M. Amer. 1991. Kuwaiti plants: distribution, traditional medicine, phytochemistry,... economic value (Studies in Plant Science 2).
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaAfghanistan   
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaCyprus  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaEgyptSinai Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaIran   
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaIsrael  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaJordan   
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaLebanon  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaSyria  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaTurkey  Davis, P. H., ed. 1965-1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeAlbania  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeBulgaria  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeFormer Yugoslavia  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeGreece incl. CreteGreuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeItaly incl. Sardinia, SicilyGreuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeRomania  Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropeFrance incl. CorsicaTutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropePortugal  Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropeSpain incl. BalearesTutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4NaturalizedAustralasiaAustraliaAustraliaSouth Australia Lazarides, M. & B. Hince. 1993. CSIRO Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia
4NaturalizedAustralasiaAustraliaAustraliaWestern Australia Western Australian Herbarium. FloraBase²: the Western Australian flora (on-line resource).
Native
Africa
  • MACARONESIA: Spain [Canarias], Portugal [Madeira Islands]
  • NORTHERN AFRICA: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia
  • NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Eritrea, Ethiopia
  • EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
  • WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda
  • SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe
  • SOUTHERN AFRICA: Namibia, South Africa [Gauteng, Limpopo]
Asia-Temperate
  • ARABIAN PENINSULA: Kuwait
  • WESTERN ASIA: Afghanistan, Cyprus, Egypt [Sinai], Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey
Europe
  • SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Former Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece (incl. Crete), Italy (incl. Sardinia, Sicily), Romania
  • SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Spain (incl. Baleares), France (incl. Corsica), Portugal
Naturalized
Australasia
  • AUSTRALIA: Australia [South Australia, Western Australia]

Reference(s)
  1. Davis, P. H., ed. 1965-1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands.
  2. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
  3. Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
  4. Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
  5. Hansen, A. & P. Sunding. 1993. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants, ed. 4. Sommerfeltia vol. 17.
  6. Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
  7. Jardin botanique national de Belgique. 1967-. Flore du Congo, du Rwanda et du Burundi (Flore d'Afrique centrale).
  8. Lazarides, M. & B. Hince. 1993. CSIRO Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia
  9. Middleditch, B. S. & A. M. Amer. 1991. Kuwaiti plants: distribution, traditional medicine, phytochemistry,... economic value (Studies in Plant Science 2).
  10. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
  11. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
  12. Western Australian Herbarium. FloraBase²: the Western Australian flora (on-line resource).
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Weedparasite Musselman, L. J. 1986. The genus Cuscuta in Virginia. Castanea 51:188-196. Note: mentions as a serious problem for clover and other legumes
Weedparasiteof alfalfaMusselman, L. J. 1996. Parasitic weeds in the Southern United States. Castanea 61:271-292. Note: this article cites Cuscuta planiflora introduced to the Pacific NW; in page 286, it comments on humans as main dispersers of parasatic seeds, especially during seed shipments as in the case of Cuscuta pentagona and other species
Weedseed contaminantpotentialMusselman, L. J. 1996. Parasitic weeds in the Southern United States. Castanea 61:271-292. Note: this article cites Cuscuta planiflora introduced to the Pacific NW; in page 286, it comments on humans as main dispersers of parasatic seeds, especially during seed shipments as in the case of Cuscuta pentagona and other species
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=12688. Accessed 12 May 2026.