Cuscuta monogyna Vahl

Host: On legumes and Berberis.

This species can be separated from all the other species of Cuscuta by its capsule, which is hard, cartilaginous, bell-shaped, 5-6 x 6-7 mm.

Stem coarse, brown, usually not interlaced, making a few spirals around the host stem. Leaves oblong-elliptical, fleshy, papillate, obtuse, 3-5 x 1.5-2.5 mm. Flowers in cymes, 4-6 mm long, pedicel 1.5-8.0 mm long; bracts leaf-like. Calyx lobes 2-3 x 1.5-2.5 mm, fleshy margin slightly serious, with 1-2 folds in the middle, papillate, overlapping each other, dark brown, when dry, 1.5-2.0 mm long. Calyx lobes 5, oblong, oblong-elliptical, spotted, light brown, obtuse, granulate, 1-1.7 x 0.5-1.0 mm; tube 1-3 mm long; scales short scarious, fringed. Stamens 5, filaments 1-2 mm long; anther oblong, basifixed, attached below the sinuses, 0.5-0.7 x c. 0.2 mm. Ovary globular to conical, fleshy, not depressed, 1.5-2.0 mm x 2-2.5 mm; style mostly obsolete, rarely 1, c. 0.2 mm long, stigmas 2, dark brown, c. 02 mm long and wide; Ovules 4, reniform, 1-1.5 x 0.5 mm. Capsule 6-7 x 5-6 mm, hard, cartilaginous, bell-shaped, not depressed, without intrastylar opening, circumscissile with a definite line of cleavage and leaving the dissepiment with the calyx. Seeds 4, usually one remains immature, dark-brown to black, mostly non-glossy, bell-shaped, triangular, with depression, ± papillate, 2.5-3.0 x 2-2.2 mm.

Stems pinkish, deep purple tuberculate, stout, 1-2 mm in diam. Inflorescences loosely or densely spicate-paniculate; bracts ovate-circular or ovate-triangular, 1-2 mm, fleshy, apex acute. Flowers subsessile or pedicellate. Calyx cupular; sepals ovate-circular, equal, apex acute. Corolla rose to white, or purple late in anthesis, urceolate to tubular, or campanulate, 3-3.5 mm; lobes 5, ovate-circular, 1/2 length of tube, margin entire or minutely dentate, apex obtuse. Stamens inserted at throat; filaments ca. as long as anthers; anthers oval or oval-cordate; scales oblong, reaching middle of tube, ± 2-cleft, fimbriate. Ovary subglobose. Style 1, ca. 0.5 mm; stigma capitate, ca. as long as style, shallowly cleft. Capsule ovoid-globose, ca. 4 mm, circumscissile. Seeds 1 or 2, dark brown, subcordate, 3-3.5 mm, smooth. 2n = 28.

Distribution: Throughout Europe and Central Asia to Sungaria, Afghanistan and Persia, Pakistan (N.W.F. Province, Baluchistan).

On trees, shrubs, perennial herbs. Xinjiang [Mongolia, Russia; SW Asia].

Cuscuta astyla Engelmann.