Convolvulaceae
Cuscuta

Cuscuta europaea L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 124 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Temp. Eurasia to N. India. It is a holoparasitic annual and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Distribution

Doubtfully present in:

Canary Is., Mongolia

Native to:

Afghanistan, Albania, Altay, Amur, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Buryatiya, Central European Russia, China North-Central, China South-Central, Chita, Corse, Czechia-Slovakia, Denmark, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, East Himalaya, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, India, Inner Mongolia, Iran, Iraq, Irkutsk, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Khabarovsk, Kirgizstan, Krasnoyarsk, Kriti, Krym, Lebanon-Syria, Manchuria, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, North Caucasus, North European Russia, Northwest European Russia, Norway, NW. Balkan Pen., Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Primorye, Qinghai, Romania, Sakhalin, Sardegna, South European Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Tibet, Transcaucasus, Turkmenistan, Tuva, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, West Himalaya, West Siberia, Xinjiang, Yakutiya

Introduced into:

Algeria, Libya, Maine, New York, New Zealand South

Synonyms

Homotypic Synonyms

Accepted Infraspecifics

Classification

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Publications

POWO follows these authorities in accepting this name:

  • Aung, Y.L., Aung, M.H., Tan, Y. & Jin, X. (2025). An updated checklist of vascular plants of Myanmar. PhytoKeys 261: 135-364.
  • Butkov, A.Y. (1974). Cuscuta in Fl. USSR. Flora of the USSR 19: 30-57. Science Publishers, Inc.
  • Clarke, C.B. in Hooker, J.D. (1883). Fl. Br. India Convolvulaceae. Flora of British India 4: 179-228 + 734.
  • Dobignard, A. & C. Chatelain in Dobignard, A. & Chatelain, C. (2011). Convolvulaceae. Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 3: 331-351. Conservatoire et Jardin Botanique de la ville de Genève.
  • Fang, R.-Z. & Staples, G. (1995). Convolvulaceae. Flora of China 16: 271-325. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.
  • Fernald & Rollins in Fernald, M.L. with R. C. Rollins (1950). Gray's Manual of Botany, 8th edition: 1177-1185. Dioscorides Press.
  • Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2023). Flora of North America North of Mexico 14: 1-505. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
  • Govaerts, R. (1999). World Checklist of Seed Plants 3(1, 2a & 2b): 1-1532. MIM, Deurne.
  • Greuter, W., Burdet, H.M., & Long, G. (1986). Med-checklist 3: Dicotyledones (Convolvulaceae - Labiatae) 3: 1-395. Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques, Ville de Genève.
  • Hassler, M. & Muer, T. (2022). Flora Germanica: alle Farn- und Blütenpflanzen Deutschlands in Text und Bild 2: 865-1712. Verlag Regionalkultur, Uberstadt-Weiher.
  • Kartesz, J.T. in Kartesz, J.T. (1994). Convolvulaceae, Cuscutaceae. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland 1: 217-221-& 227-228. Timber Press.
  • Kitamura, S. in Kitamura, S. (1960). Fl. Afghanistan Convolvulaceae. Flora of Afghanistan 2: 309-313. Kyoto University.
  • Komiljon, T., Natalya, B., Avazbek, B., Dilnoza, A., Ziyoviddin, Y., Deng, T. & Sun, H. (2020). Flora of the Dzhizak Province, Uzbekistan: 1-523. China Forestry Publishing House.
  • Kotiya, A., Solanki, Y. & Reddy, G.V. (2020). Flora of Rajasthan: 1-769. Rajasthan state biodiversity board.
  • Kozhevnikov, A.E., Kozhevnikov, Z.V., Kwak, M. & Lee, B.Y. (2019). Illustrated flora of the Primorsky Territory, Russian Far East: 1-1124. National institute of biological resources.
  • Mill, R.R. (1999). Fl. Bhutan Cuscutaceae. Flora of Bhutan 2(2): 862-865. Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
  • Mirek, Z., Piękoś-Mirkowa, H., Zając, A. & Zając, M (2020). Vascular plants of Poland an annotated checklist: 1-526. W. Szafer institute of botany, Polish academy of sciences, Krakow, Poland.
  • Nikolin, E.G. (2020). Opredelitel' vysshikh rasteniy Yakutii: 1-895. Moskva : Tovarishchestvo Nauchnykh Izdaniy KMK Novosibirsk "Nauka".
  • Plitmann, U. in Davis, P.H. (ed.) (1978). Cuscutaceae. Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands 6: 222-237. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
  • Stace, C. (2019). New Flora of the British Isles ed. 4: 1-1266. C & M Floristics.
  • Stalažs, A. (2024). List of vascular plants of Latvia (with Latvian names): 1-312. Dobele.
  • Trabut, L. (1907). Les Cuscutes du nord de l'Afrique. Bulletin de la Société de la France 53(sess. extr.): 34-43.
  • Valentine, D.H. et al. in Tutin, T.G. & al. (eds.) (1972). Convolvulaceae. Flora Europaea 3: 74-83. Cambridge University Press.
  • Webb, C.J., W.R. Sykes, & P.J. Garnock-Jones (1988). Fl. New Zealand Convolvulaceae - naturalised. Flora of New Zealand 4: 547-560+1289. R.E.Owen, Government Printer, Wellington.
  • Yamazaki, T. (1993). Fl. Japan Convolvulaceae. Flora of Japan IIIa: 195-205. Kodansha Ltd., Tokyo.
  • Yuncker, T.G. & Rechinger, K.H. (1964). Cuscutaceae for Flora Iranica. Flora Iranica 8: 1-16. Naturhistorisches Museums Wien.
  • Yuncker, T.G. (1932). The genus Cuscuta. Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club 18: 113-331. New York Botanical Garden.
  • Zhao, Y.Z., Zhao, L.Q. & Rui, C. (eds.) (2019). Flora Intramongolica, edition 3, 4: 1-482. Typis Intramongolicae popularis, Huhhot.

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Butkov, A.Y. (1974). Cuscuta in Fl. USSR. Flora of the USSR 19: 30-57. Science Publishers, Inc.
  • Clarke, C.B. in Hooker, J.D. (1883). Fl. Br. India Convolvulaceae. Flora of British India 4: 179-228 + 734.
  • Dobignard, A. & C. Chatelain in Dobignard, A. & Chatelain, C. (2011). Convolvulaceae. Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 3: 331-351. Conservatoire et Jardin Botanique de la ville de Genève.
  • Fang, R.-Z. & Staples, G. (1995). Convolvulaceae. Flora of China 16: 271-325. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.
  • Fernald & Rollins in Fernald, M.L. with R. C. Rollins (1950). Gray's Manual of Botany, 8th edition: 1177-1185. Dioscorides Press.
  • Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2023). Flora of North America North of Mexico 14: 1-505. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
  • GBIF ( 2021-continuously updated). Global Biodiversity Information Facility http://www.gbif.org/.
  • Greuter, W., Burdet, H.M., & Long, G. (1986). Med-checklist 3: Dicotyledones (Convolvulaceae - Labiatae) 3: 1-395. Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques, Ville de Genève.
  • Komiljon, T., Natalya, B., Avazbek, B., Dilnoza, A., Ziyoviddin, Y., Deng, T. & Sun, H. (2020). Flora of the Dzhizak Province, Uzbekistan: 1-523. China Forestry Publishing House.
  • Plitmann, U. in Davis, P.H. (ed.) (1978). Cuscutaceae. Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands 6: 222-237. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
  • Press, J.R., K.K. Shrestha, & D.A. Sutton (2012). Nepal Cklist. Convolvulaceae. Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal - online Natural History Museum et al.
  • Sociedade Portuguesa de Botânica (2026). Flora-On: Flora de Portugal Interactiva www.flora-on.pt.
  • Valentine, D.H. et al. in Tutin, T.G. & al. (eds.) (1972). Convolvulaceae. Flora Europaea 3: 74-83. Cambridge University Press.
  • Webb, C.J., W.R. Sykes, & P.J. Garnock-Jones (1988). Fl. New Zealand Convolvulaceae - naturalised. Flora of New Zealand 4: 547-560+1289. R.E.Owen, Government Printer, Wellington.
  • Yamazaki, T. (1993). Fl. Japan Convolvulaceae. Flora of Japan IIIa: 195-205. Kodansha Ltd., Tokyo.
  • Yuncker, T.G. & Rechinger, K.H. (1964). Cuscutaceae for Flora Iranica. Flora Iranica 8: 1-16. Naturhistorisches Museums Wien.
  • Yuncker, T.G. (1932). The genus Cuscuta. Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club 18: 113-331. New York Botanical Garden.

Other Data

Other Kew resources that provide information on this taxon:

Sources

  • EBC Common Names

    • Common Names from Kew's Economic Botany Collection https://www.kew.org/science/collections-and-resources/collections/economic-botany-collection

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Kew's Living Collection Database

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images