
          Your Cuscuta from the mountains of Kurdistan is identical with
a specimen, which was sent to me from germany as Cuscuta
ciliaris Kotschy, both are on Alhagi maurorum [DT?], and perhaps
both from the same locality and the same collector? Mine is
from Mossul on the Tigris, coll. by Kotschy 1841

C. ciliaris K. is a good and very distinct species, one of the
few asiatic ones with capitate stigmas. I am very anxious
therefore to see a ripe capsule, to ascertain whether this
is [?] like the [?] on [?] like the
european species. I have only flowers. But Choisy
in [?] [?] confounds it with C. pedicellata Ledeb
which I have from the author, and which is widely
distinct, but he says also under the [?] [?],
[added: pag 453] C. [babylonia?]: Kurdistan Berg (mountain) [?], Kotschy
Is that your plant as you say: from the mountains
of Kurdistan; if so, Choisy is wrong, for yours and
mine are absolutely identical. I have never
received an answer from Berlin, and dont know
whether I shall be able to compare Humboldt's Cuscutae
in relation to your C. umbellata. Fremonts plant
from the same region (1844) is my C. [neuropetala], which
I have also from Florida. Hooker has sent me all
his Cuscutas, and promises to intercede for me
in Berlin. I ought to be able to compare Humboldts
authentic specimens, as the inscriptions do not go
a great length to identify Cuscutae.  Choisy's are
very poor.

I have now the hope to get characteristic fragments of all
Cuscutae of the Berlin Herbarium; they have been promised and 

        