WILD FLOWERS OF THE BRITISH ISLES 
Convolvulus (Volvulus Soldanella). The stems are twining, trailing along the ground or climbing 
2 or 3 feet high by twisting round surrounding plants ; the leaves are egg-shaped (ovate), abruptly 
pointed at the tip, and arrow-shaped (sagittate) at the base ; the roots are creeping, and are 
as difficult to eradicate as those of the Great Bindweed. [ Plate 20. 
Very common. In fields, cultivated ground, waste places, and waysides; a troublesome weed 
in England and Ireland, local in Scotland. June — October. Perennial. 
III. DODDER. (CUSCUTA. Linn.) — Flowers small, bell-shaped, white, pink, or flesh-colour, 
in clusters or heads. Calyx of 4-5 sepals, only united at the base, coloured like petals 
(petaloid), free from and inserted below the seedcase (inferior) ; corolla of 4-5 petals, united 
into a tube and separating into the same number of lobes, with 5 small scales between or below 
the stamens, remaining with the fruit (persistent), inserted below the seedcase (hypogynous) > 
stamens 4 or 5, inserted in the upper half of the corolla-tube (epi-petalous) ; carpels 2, with 
2 styles, or rarely only 1, and double the number of stigmas; fruit a roundish capsule, 2-celled 
with 2 seeds in each cell, opening transversely by lids. Leafless annuals with thread-like 
generally red stems, which twine round other plants to which they attach themselves by 
false roots and obtain their nutrition from them, severing their connection with the ground 
(parasites). 
Scales in corolla-tube minute ; stamens and style included in corolla-tube. 
(1) Greater Dodder. (Cuscuta europ^a.) — Sepals blunt, shorter than the corolla-tube; 
corolla-tube cylindrical in flower, only inflated in fruit ; scales notched, with rounded 
spaces between. 
(2) *Flax Dodder. (Cuscuta Epihnum.) — Sepals pointed, nearly as long as the corolla-tube ; 
corolla-tube inflated in flower and fruit ; scales toothed. 
Scales large and prominent, almost closing the corolla-tube ; stamens and style slightly 
protruding beyond the corolla-tube. 
(3) Lesser Dodder. (Cuscuta Epith'ymum.) — Sepals pointed, shorter than the corolla-tube, 
red ; corolla-tube cylindrical in flower, inflated in fruit, scales large, toothed, separated 
from one another by narrow acute spaces. 
(4) *Clover Dodder. (Cuscuta Trifolii.) — Sepals pointed, as long as the corolla-tube, tipped 
with red ; corolla-tube cylindrical in flower, inflated in fruit, scales toothed, separated 
from one another by wide rounded spaces. 
1 . Greater Dodder. (Cuscuta europsea. Linn.) — As just described. The flowers 
are very small, yellowish, reddening in some situations, stalkless or on short stalks, clustered 
together into compact, round, stalkless heads. The sepals are blunt, sometimes only 4 in number, 
shorter than the corolla-tube, yellowish-white ; the corolla-tube is cylindrical at first and becomes 
inflated in fruit, the lobes are short and broad, and the scales are minute, short, and notched ; 
the stamens are included in the corolla-tube ; and there are 2 stigmas which are also included in 
the corolla-tube. The stems are much branched, greenish-yellow, or reddish. 
Rather rare. A parasite found on nettles, thistles, vetches, hop, &c. Sparingly distributed 
over England, not found north of York, nor in Scotland or Ireland. July — September. 
Annual. 
2 . *Flax Dodder. (Cuscuta Epill'num. Weihe.) — A species differing from the last 
in having rather larger, more fleshy, greenish-white flowers, which are, however, fewer in each 
