SafePlants

Buttonbush Dodder (Cuscuta cephalanthii)

Buttonbush Dodder is a fascinating parasitic vine found in North America. Here's what you need to know:

Considerations for Pets

• This plant is a vine that clings to other plants using suckers (haustoria).

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Cuscuta cephalanthii Engelm.
• Common Names: Buttonbush Dodder, Button-bush Dodder, Butterbush Dodder
• Family: Cuscutaceae (Dodder Family) or Convolvulaceae (depending on the source)
• Synonym: Grammica cephalanthi

Distribution and Habitat

• Native to North America.
• It's named after its association with the buttonbush (Cephalanthus).
• Prefers wet, partly sunny sites.
• Observed in locations like Woodford County, Illinois and Dane County, Wisconsin.

Morphology and Growth Habits

• Herbaceous parasitic vine, classified as a summer annual.
• Can grow to be several feet long.
• Clings to adjacent vegetation using suckers (haustoria) on its stems.
• Features small clusters of tiny 4-petaled white flowers with petals erect to slightly spreading.
• It is root-, leaf- and chlorophyll-deprived, relying on host plants for sustenance.

Ecological Role

• Parasitic plant that uses a large number of herbaceous and shrubby species as hosts.
• Attacks a wide variety of hosts, both wild and cultivated.

Quirky Facts

• The species name *cephalanthii* refers to only one of its host plants, the buttonbush (*Cephalanthus*).
• The name "Kushkut," with Arabic origins, means dodder plant or parasitic plant in New Latin.

Further Information

• USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
• Discover Life (database entry may be incomplete)
• Dave's Garden (gardening tips and ideas)
• Garden Guides (planting care instructions)
• EOL (Encyclopedia of Life)
• ISM Herbarium (Herbarium, Illinois State Museum)
• Go Botany