62 MONOGRAPHY OF THE NORTH AMERICAN CUSCUTINE. 
Var. a. LAXIFLORA: flowers in loose cymes. 8. GLOMERATA: flowers conglomerate. y. TETRAMERA: flowers 
in umbelliform cymes, 3—4-parted. 
This species has apparently not only the widest range of all the American Cuscut, but is less restricted to the 
same genus or family of plants. Indeed I have scarcely met with it twice upon the same species. Var. a. is the 
southern and western form: Western New York on Decodon, Dr. A. Gray; Missouri on Cephalanthus and Amphi- 
carpea, and Georgia, on ——?, J. Carey; Alabama, on Salix and Aster, S. B. Buckley. Var. 8. is the northern form: 
my specimens are from Vermont, on Leersia, and New Hampshire, on Solidago, both from Mr. J. Carey. Var. y 
eats on Urtica, J. Carey 
uscuta vulgivaga, is necbane in part the Cuscuta Americana of Linneus, and of many later botanists. But 
their — are too incomplete to decide the point, and different species undoubtedly have been confounded under 
this name. Even Linneus himself (Spec. Plant. ed. 1, p. 124), referring to Gronov. Virg. and to Sloane, Hist. I., p. 
201, t. 128, f. 4, confounds two distinct species. Which of them is to be the C. deancisaat Linnzus has only hs 
following words: “ Cuscuta floribus pedunculatis.” Michaux, (I., 175): “Cuscuta, floribus pedicellatis, pentan- 
dris.”” Pursh (L, 116); “C. fl. pedunculatis umbellatis 5-fidis.” Other botanists add, “stigmatibus capitatis.” [339] 
Nuttall, gen. (I1., addit.) on the other hand has it: “flowers mostly pentandrous and sessile;” and Sprengel 
(Syst. Veg. I., 864) brings his C. Americana under the section with glomerate subsessile flowers. While these authors 
refer to one or more North American species, others apply the name with at least equal justice to a West Indian plant, 
Linneus himself cites Sloane, Hist. I., t. 128, f. 4. After him Jacquin (Stirp. Am. p. 24), Swartz (Obs. p. 54), and 
others describe a West Indian species. The name may therefore properly be reserved for Sloane’s plant, or may be 
discarded altogether. The only reason I have in supposing that most North American autbors give it to Cuscuta 
vulgivaga, is that this is the most common and the widest’spread species in the United States, and has generally the 
flowers longer-peduncled than any other. 
This Cuscuta is intermediate between C. Cephalanthi and C. Saururi. all three the lobes of the calyx and 
corolla are obtuse, and the former shorter than the tube of the corolla. But our plant is distinguished from both by 
the carina of the lobes of the calyx, which is formed by larger uneven enue cells, and by the large pellucid dots 
in the substance of the corolla, which may be mistaken for glands, but are nothing but cells larger than the rest 
of the tissue. The carinz of the calyx are most prominent on the three outer lobes, and sometimes hardly perceptible 
on the two inner; but even then the large irregular cells are easily distinguished by the lens. The lobes of the corolla 
are shorter than the tube, as in C. Cephalanthi: the scales are large and incurved, and the corolla remains at the 
base of the capsule, as in C. Saururi. The tube is campanulate, but deeper than in C. Saururi or C. Polygonorum. 
The flowers and fruit are larger than in Cephalanthi, and (especially in var. a.) nearly of the same size as in C 
Saururi. The styles are in some specimens a little longer, in others a little shorter than the ovary, which appears to 
be crowned by a stylopodium: this however it is hardly possible to ascertain satisfactorily in the dried specimens. 
4. CuscoTa SauRuRI, n.sp.: stem low, branching; flowers 5-parted, somewhat pedunculate, - si in 
spikes ; tube of the corolla campanulate, equal to the obtusish campanulate or spreading lobes, and longe 
the obtuse segments of the calyx; stamens as long as the limb; the scales pinnatifid-laciniate, convergent, Satie [340] 
the ovary; styles as long as the ovate-globose ovary with the stylopodium; remains of the corolla persistent at 
the base of the subglobose capsule. 
Margin of lakes and swamps, in the “American Bottom” opposite St. Louis, on Saururus, where it was dis- 
sae in a, oe Sg by my friend, Ch. Geyer, the indefatigable botanist who has signalized himself in the North- 
estern Expeditio Mr. J. N. Nicollet in 1839. Alabama, Dr. A. Prout. Texas, on Behmeria, Polygonum, &c., 
F. Lindheimer. A wae with rather larger calyx-lobes, in other respects perfectly agreeing with the above descrip- 
tion, was obtained by Dr. A. Gray, in Western New York (also on Saururus?). 
This species bears a great resemblance to C. Polygonorum; but differs from it in the much stouter stems, the 
greater size of the flowers, the larger convergent scales, and the stylopodium on the ovary. The stems are one-third 
of a line or more in diameter, and are stouter than in any other of our species. It is the latest species in blossom, the 
flowers not appearing before the beginning or middle of September; while C. Polygonorum commences in August, 
= - ea and C. Coryli, which are the earliest flowering species of our neighborhood, are in bloom by the 
end of July 
5. CUSCUTA PENTAGONA, n. sp.: stem branched; flowers pedunculate, subumbellate, small, 5-parted; tube ot 
the corolla open-campanulate, shorter than the long acuminate lobes, and the smooth, roundish, obtuse lobes of the 
5-angled calyx ; stamens shorter than the limb; the scales ovate, fimbriate, convergent ; styles filiform ; about equal 
to the globose ovary; capsule ——. 
On Euphorbia or Tragia, Norfolk, Virginia, Mr. Rugel ; communicated by Dr. Gray. Also near Houston, Texas, 
on different low herbs in a wet prairie; flowering in April, F. Lindheimer. Beardstown, Illinois, in sandy soil, 
Ch. Geyer. 
