bio.wikisort.org - Plant

Cuscuta japonica, commonly known as Japanese dodder, is a parasitic vine. It has been listed by the State of California as a noxious weed.[1] It has a range of effects on its host[2] and has repeatedly been introduced to the United States of America.[3] C. japonica looks very similar to other vines, making it difficult to distinguish.[4]

Cuscuta japonica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Solanales
Family:	Convolvulaceae
Genus:	Cuscuta
Species:	C. japonica
Binomial name
Cuscuta japonica Hook. & Arn.

Effects on host

The Japanese dodder is a plant that parasitizes other plants. From mild development issues to serious complications sometimes resulting in death, the Japanese dodder can cause a wide spectrum of effects on its plant host.[2] Farmers in particular can be affected by this plant, as infection leads to less crops they are able to harvest.[5]

Morphology

Cuscuta japonica shares a similar morphology to vines, displaying stems that are mostly yellow with bits of red along it.[4] The Japanese dodder also exhibits small flowers that are "pale-yellow to cream"[6] in color and contain one circular stigma.[7] Any leaves it has are very small and "scale-like" in shape and texture.[8] Fruit produced are small and capsule-like, only carrying a couple of seeds.[9]

History

Cuscuta japonica can be found non-invasively in a variety of places on the continent of Asia.[9] The plant was introduced and reintroduced to the United States of America multiple times starting from the 1940s under the guise of a medicinal plant, and was thought to have been eradicated a couple of times.[3]

References

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