Laurel dodder (Cassytha filiformis)

Laurel dodder (Cassytha filiformis) is a species of plant in Lauraceae, an obligate parasitic vine, an aphrodisiac, growing vines and tightly coiled on other plants to fill the canopy and berry-shaped fruit.

C. filiformis has cylindrical stems, orange to green in color and branched, blunt ends and grows coiled to form very strong threads on the stems of other plants.







The leaves are reduced to scales about 1 mm long. Flowers are borne in spikes or sometimes solitary with 6 tepals, each 0.1-2.0 mm long. The fruit is round and seeded with a diameter of 7 mm.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Laurales
Family: Lauraceae
Genus: Cassytha Osbeck in C.Linnaeus, Sp. Pl.: 35 (1753)
Species: Cassytha filiformis L. in Sp. Pl.: 35 (1753)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Calodium cochinchinensis Lour. in Fl. Cochinch.: 247 (1790)
Cassytha americana Nees in Syst. Laur.: 644 (1836)
Cassytha americana var. brachystachya Meisn. in A.P.de Candolle, Prodr. 15(1): 256 (1864)
Cassytha americana var. brasiliensis (Mart. ex Nees) Meisn. (1864)
Cassytha americana var. puberula Meisn. (1864)
Cassytha aphylla Raeusch. in Nomencl. Bot. Pl. Illustr., ed. 3: 116 (1797)
Cassytha archboldiana C.K.Allen in J. Arnold Arbor. 23: 155 (1942)
Cassytha brasiliensis Mart. ex Nees (1836)
Cassytha corniculata Burm.f. in Fl. Indica: 93 (1768)
Cassytha dissitiflora Meisn. in Vidensk. Meddel. Naturhist. Foren. Kjøbenhavn 1870: 145 (1870)
Cassytha filiformis subsp. guineensis (Schumach. & Thonn.) De Wild. in Miss. Ém. Laurent: 86 (1905)
Cassytha filiformis var. pseudopubescens Domin in Biblioth. Bot. 22(89): 126 (1926)
Cassytha filiformis var. puberula (Meisn.) León & Alain in Fl. Cub. 2: 191 (1951)
Cassytha filiformis f. pycnantha Domin (1926)
Cassytha filiformis var. subpubescens Meisn. (1864)
Cassytha guineensis Schumach. & Thonn. in C.F.Schumacher, Beskr. Guin. Pl.: 199 (1827)
Cassytha guineensis var. livingstonii Meisn. (1864)
Cassytha novoguineensis Kaneh. & Hatus. in Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 57: 190 (1943)
Cassytha paradoxae Proctor in Moscosoa 2: 20 (1983)
Cassytha senegalensis A.Chev. in Fl. Afrique Occ. Franç. 1: 46 (1938), without a Latin descr.
Cassytha timoriensis Gand. in Bull. Soc. Bot. France 60: 419 (1913)
Cassytha zeylanica Gaertn. in Fruct. Sem. Pl. 1: 134 (1788)
Rumputris fasciculata Raf. in Fl. Tellur. 4: 92 (1838)
Spironema aphylla Raf. (1838)
Volutella aphylla Forssk. in Fl. Aegypt.-Arab.: 84 (1775)

PUBLICATIONS

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VERNACULAR NAME

Assamese: Akakhi lota
Brunei: Akar janjang
Burmese: အိန် ဒိုင်ယာရိတ် လိုင်စ်ဝါလ် Ain dyaareat laiswal
Chinese (simplified): 无根藤
Chinese (traditional): 無根藤 - 無根草
English: Laurel dodder, Dodder laurel, Seashore dodder, Woe vine, Love vine, Devil's gut, Fine devils tresses, Dodder
Filipino: Kaduad-kawaran, Barutbarut, Malabohok
French: Fausse cuscute, Liane sans tête, Liane sans fin, Liane ficelle
German: Liebeswinde
Gujarati: Sonvel, Swarnavalli
Hawaiian: Kauna‘oa
Hindi: अमरबेली - आकाश घंटी - आकसबेल - अमरबेल - आकाश बेल Amarbehli, Aakaash ghantee, Akasbel, Amarbel, Akas bel
Hong Kong: 無根藤
Indonesian: Tali putri
Japanese: スナヅル
Java: Tali puteri
Kannada: Aakaasha balli, Akasha balli, Amara balli, Amaru balli, Bilu balli, Daarada balli, Janivaara balli, Mamgana udidaara, Mangana udidara
Khmer: ខ្សាករ៉ូបសាព្រហ្ម Khsaek robsa preahint
Konkani: Ankasvel
Lao: ໄຊໂຄ ໂຂງອິນດຣາ Saikho khong in dra
Macao: 無根藤
Malayalam: Akasavalli, Moodillathali
Malayu: Cemar batu, Akar pengalasan, Rambut puteri, Tali puteri Marathi: Amarvel, Ambarvel, Akashvel
Oria: Nirmuli
Oriya: Akashavuli
Palauan: Techellelachull, Kukiut
Pashto: دا اسمان زنګ Da isman zang
Portuguese: Cipó-chumbo
Russian: Кассита нитевидная
Sanskrit: Akasavalli, Aakashavalli, Aamaravalli, Akashavalli, Amaravallari, Duhsparsha, Khavalli, Vyomavallika, Verillaakkothu, Andhrakkodi, Kotthaan
Southern Africa: Fine Devils Tresses
Spanish: Fideo de Monte
Sunda: Sangga langit
Tamil: வெறில்லாக்கொத்து - ஆந்திரக்கொடி - கொத்தான் - எருமை-க்-கொற்றன் - துருமை-க்-கொற்றன் - பசு-என்-கொற்றன் Verillaakkothu, Andhrakkodi, Kotthaan, Erumai-k-korran, Turrumai-k-korran, Pacu-n-korran
Telugu: Akasa-valli, Antara valli, Akashavalli, Anthara vallithige, Sitamma nulu pogulu, Noolu thige, Nulutegi, Paachi thige, Pachiteega, Seethammavari jadalu
Thai: สังวาลย์พระอินทร์
Urdu: آسمان کی گھنٹی - اکاس بیل Aasman ki ghanti, Akas bel
Venda Luangalala
Vietnam: Vòng cổ của Chúa
Zulu: Umkhunga

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