WEEDS OP THE DODDER FAMILY. 



111 



which it once possessed and is a yellow creeping parasite almost 

 its whole life long. 



Six species of dodder are recorded from Indiana and several 

 others doubtless occur. Two of these which are the most harm- 

 ful are herewith treated. 



74. Cuscuta EPITHY.MUM Murr. Clover Dodder. Devil's Gut. (A. I. 1.) 

 Stems thread-like, reddish-yellow. Flowers sessile in small dense 

 clusters, pinkish-white; calyx more than one-half the length of the cyl- 

 indric corolla tube; scales of the latter scalloped and strongly incurved. 

 Capsule opening by a little lid. Seeds brown or dark ash-gray nearly 

 spherical, finely pitted, 1/32 inch long or not larger than the smallest red- 

 clover seeds. (Fig. 70.) 



While this dodder is not recorded in the State list of plants it 

 has been noted in Ripley and Putnam counties and doubtless occurs 

 elsewhere in many clover fields as it is 

 widely distributed east of the Mississippi 

 and is well known in Ohio. Like all other 

 dodders it depends wholly upon its host 

 plants, the red clover and alfalfa, for food. 

 Its stems spread from one clover plant to 

 another, forming a dense mat-like mass close 

 to the ground, the flowering branches mean- 

 while ascending and twining about those of 

 the host. Their suckers soon reach and draw 

 upon the juices, destroying the clover stems 

 and leaves as if by fire. Even if torn loose 

 small pieces of the plant will remain and 

 form new centers of growth. Remedies: 

 sowing clean clover seed. As Selby has well 

 said: "Dodder in clover means that the dod- 

 der seed has been sown with the clover seed, 

 and further that no clover seed should be 

 Fig. 76. a, flower; b co.qjM saved f rom a dodder infested field. ' '* The 



spread apart to sbow scales on its 



inuerside; c, mature seed-pod; dseed use 0l f a sieve of 20 meshes to the linear ineh, 



and cross-section of same. (After 



^wwo made of No. 30 to No. 34 Washburn & Moen 



gauge wire, will allow the seed of clover dodder to pass readily 

 through, but will intercept all but the smallest of red clover and 

 alfalfa seed. The separation of seed from this dodder is thus ren- 

 dered yery easy. Plowing and thoroughly cultivating the infested 

 field is the only remedy where the dodder has gained a hold. 

 The field dodder (C. arvensis Beyr.) is also a common species 



•Bull. 175, Ohio Exp. Sta,,'p. 348. 



