BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 
Vol. 9. JANUARY, 1877. No. 
A NEW Cuscuta, new at least to North America, comes now from California. A 
great wanderer is this G. corymbosa, which nearly 40 years ago stirred up the botanists 
of Europe, and the agriculturists not less. / This interesting plant has quite a little his- 
tory of its Own. At the period indicated, between 1839 and 1843, an unknown Guscuta 
made its appearance almost simultaneously in different parts of western Europe, and, 
singularly enough, always on Lucerne fields. In Germany it was described as 0. 
suaveolens, G. Hassiaca , G. diaphana, and Engelmannia migrans , until Choisy, in DC. 
Prod., recognizing its American origin, took it for G. corymbosa, R. & P. In my mono- 
graph of Cuscuta, 1859, I established the identity of the immigrant with the South j 
American G. racemosa, Mart., which had been introduced into Europe with the much i 
vaunted Chilian Alfalfa, in reality the old established European fodder plant, the : 
Lucerne , and which proved very destructive to its nurse-plant. After 10 or 15 years the ' 
energetic measures of the farmers, together with wet and cool summers, in Which the ] 
seeds did not mature, seem to have eradicated the plant entirely, and as far as I am in- 
formed, it has not been heard bf again in Europe, But now, lo and behold, ou|l 
wanderer makes its appearance in northern California, and, precisely as before in! 
Europe, in Alfalfa fields, “proving very injurious.” It has been, without doubt, here ;| 
also imported from Chili. 
Rev. E. L. Greene, who has found so many new native plants in the Shasta Valley, 
sends also this troublesome newcomer. How long it has been there or whether it has 
appeared in other parts of California, where under the well-sounding name of Alfalfa ; 
the Lucerne is frequently cultivated, is as yet unknown, nor whether it will establish ; 
itself permanently. It may be well to direct the attention of the farmers, who cultivate] 
Alfalfa, to this dangerous enemy and ip urge them to destroy any dodder which may ; 
show itself in their fields, before it can spread or mature seeds. G. racemosa, Mart.,; 
belongs like our common G. Gronomi to the section Glisto grammica, characterized by i 
two styles of unequal length tipped with capitate stigmas and a not-opening (baccate) j 
capsule. Ovary and capsule are thickened towards the apex and somewhat pointed ; j 
inflorescence loosely paniculated with longish pedicels; flowers 1 % — 2 lines long, of j 
thin texture, tube of corolla deeply campanulate, widening upwards, spreading lobes j 
inflexed at the acute tip; scales nearly the length of the tube; capsule commonly en- j 
veloped by th£ corolla. 
The variety, GMUana, Eng. CusC. p. 505, to which this form belongs, has larger and j 
more delicate flowers than the original Brazilian type. — G. Engelmann. 
