220 



SPECIES OF rrSCTTA NOT IHTllKino Ki:i'< >u'ri:i » fijom 

 INDIAN A. 



'1\ (i. Yr.MKKK. Kcl'.Miiw liiivcrsily. 



At the uioetiiiK of this Acadcuiy last year I i»rc'SL'nti'(l a paiiur on the 

 species of Cuscuta occurriug: in Indiana. Included in that report were seven 

 native species (C. fflomerata ; C. comijadta; C. Cephalmifhi ; ('. VoryJi; V. 

 pDh/f/onoriDii : ('. pcnt(if/ona and ('. (Inr)iovii) that were known to occur in 

 llio state and two foreign sijecies {('. Kpithymum and C. Epiliimm) which 

 are probably in the state although not seen by the writer. 



Since that time I have received two collections from different counties 

 (if another .species, C. cui<pUUttii Englni.. which has, so far as the writer 

 knows, never been collected before in Indiana. One of the specimens was 

 cdlliH'ted by Mr. AV. A. Hunter, president of the Vigo County liee Keepers" 

 Association, who writes as follows regarding it: 



"I only observed a small patch near my apiary, about two miles south- 

 west of Prairieton (Vigo Co.). Indiana: less than one-half mile from the 

 Wabash river, which is the state line between Indiana and Illinois. This 

 • patch was in the river l)()ttonis. along the fence row between two corn 



fields. It was quite plentiful for a few rods along the fence row The 



honey bees were worldng on the flowers, as well as the wild bees and other 

 insects. They seemed to be \ery active when the flowers were in full 

 bloom." 



The other specimen was recently sent to me by Mr. C. C. Deam who 

 collected it in a "low field along the Wabash River about 40 rods south of 

 where the wagon road comes to the river from the east and just below the 

 old dam, or about two miles south of New Harmony. Posey Co." 



Cuscuta cuxpidata is tyiiically found in the prairie region from the Mis- 

 sissippi river westward to the mountains and southward to Louisiana and 

 Texas. Until the finding of these specimens in Indiana the farthest east 

 that this species had been found of which we have any authentic record 

 was in St. Clair County. Illinois where it has been collected several times. 

 This species belongs to the group of dodders characterized by tlii' possession 

 of sepal-like bracts closely subtending the individual flowers. (Mdy four 

 species belonging to this group are f(nuid in the Fnited States three of 

 which ( r. (/lotiicnitd ; ('. conipdi-ta and ('. cuxpidata ) ai-e now known to 

 occur in Indiana. ('. cuxpidatd is differentiated from C. glomciatti and ('. 

 compacta by its looser inflorescence and more or less cuspidate or mucronate. 

 infre(|uently obtuse, sepals and bracts. Also, there are ordinarily but one to 

 liiree bracts about each flower wlieicas in the otliei- two siiecies the nuni- 

 iier of bracts is usually greater. 



('. ciispidatn seems to prefer sjiecies of Compositae foi' hosts, tlic two 

 specimens sent in being on Ambrosia. It has been foiuid infrc(|iicntly para- 

 sitizing leguminous plants, usually alfalfa, but it is nol liclicvcd that it 

 will ever bectime a pest in Indiana. 



