PENTANDRIA— DIGYNIA. Cuscuta. 25 



On Thistles^, Nettles, Flax, and other annual or biennial herbs, but 

 rare. 



Near Aberdeen. Mr. Alexander Smith. In Cambridgeshire. Rev. 

 J.Hemsted. At Shipston-upon-Stour, Worcestershire. Rev. Dr. 

 Jones. Found near Newbury, Berkshire, by Mr. Bicheno ; and 

 at Musselburgh, near Edinburgh, by Mr. Neill. Hooker. 



Annual. August, September. 



Root simple, small and slender, soon obliterated. Stem thread- 

 shaped, red, copiously branched, twiningfrom right to left, round 

 the stems of other plants, to the height of 2 or 3 feet, and ad- 

 hering, at various distances, by rows of short downy radicles, 

 its only source of nourishment after the original root is gone. 

 Leaves none. Fi. in dense round heads, whitish, scarcely stalked, 

 usually 5 -cleft and pentandrous j and in all the British speci- 

 mens I have seen, as well as in Ehrhart's German ones, desti- 

 tute of scales in the throat of the tube ; which Dr. Hooker con- 

 firms, in contradiction to the opinion of our learned friend Mr. 

 Brown, Prodr. 49 1 , who possibly examined specimens of C. Epi~ 

 thymum, some of which, as in Dickson's H. Sice. fasc. 15. 6, 

 often approach the europcea in size, and were taken for such by 

 that excellent botanist. The calyx is reddish. Tube of the co- 

 rolla bell-shaped, and subsequently globose ; limb short, con- 

 tracted as it withers, permanent, as well as the stamens. Ger- 

 men globular. Styles short, spreading, reddish, with acute stig- 

 mas. Capsule nearly globular, pellucid, reticulated, invested 

 with the dry corolla. 



2. C. Epithymum. Lesser Dodder. 



Flowers sessile, with a notched scale at the base of each 

 stamen. Stigmas acute. 



C. Epithymum. Linn. Sijst. Feg. erf. 13. 140. H. 5r. 283. Engl. 

 Bot. at p. 378. Dicks. H. Sice. fasc. 15. 5. Abbot 36. Hook. 

 Scot. SO. Fl.Dan.t.427. 



C. europeea. Engl. Bot. v. 1. 1. do. Linn. Sp.Pl.l80 (3. Willd.v.l. 

 702 /3. Huds. 104. Sibth. 63. Dicks. H. Sice. fasc. 15. 6. 



C. n. 654, minor. Hall. Hist. r. 1. 291. 



C. major. Raii Syyi. 281. 



Epithymum. Matth. Falgr.v.2. 614./. Camer. Epit. 983. f. Da- 

 lech. Hist. 1682./. Ger. Em. 578. 



On Common Heath, Furze, Thyme, and other small shrubby plants, 

 not unfrequently. 



Perennial ? August. 



Smaller than the preceding, though various in that respect, having 

 generally almost capillary stems, very much twisted and en- 

 tangled, of a deep red. Fl. most frequently 4-cleft and tetran- 

 drous. Cal. red, acute. Cor. white, w-ith a short, funnel-shap- 

 ed tube. Stam. with an inflexed, crescent-shaped, finely notched 

 scale, close to the base of each. Styles rather elongated, spread- 

 ing, with simple sligmas. 



