Flora-Fauna

Cuscuta approximata Bab.

(Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 13: 253; 1844 – Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, Pl. CCXL nº 3; 1969)

• Life-form & habit: Annual parasitic vine with slender, twining, yellow to orange stems, 0.3–0.6 mm thick, forming dense entanglements over host plants. Haustoria numerous and deeply penetrating, attaching to herbaceous and shrubby hosts across open habitats.

• Leaves: Highly reduced to minute, triangular scales, 0.3–0.5 mm long, membranous, translucent.

• Inflorescence & flowers: Clusters of 5–15 small, white to cream flowers in dense, globose or subcorymbose glomerules. Pedicels short (0.5–1 mm). Calyx cup-shaped, 4–5-lobed, lobes broadly ovate, slightly unequal, obtuse. Corolla urceolate to campanulate, 2–3 mm long, lobes short, triangular, reflexed at anthesis; tube often slightly constricted above the ovary. Scales truncate, fringed, placed about halfway up the corolla tube. Stamens 5, alternating with scales, filaments short, anthers round, yellowish. Styles 2, short; stigmas capitate, often closely approximated — a key identifying feature.

• Fruit: Capsule globose, 2–3 mm in diameter, circumscissile (opening transversely), slightly depressed at apex; seeds 4, ovoid, smooth, brown.

• Phenology: Flowers and fruits from May to September.

• Habitat & elevation: Parasitic on a variety of herbaceous hosts in open fields, steppe vegetation, roadsides, and disturbed grasslands, from sea level up to 1 800 m; prefers dry, sunny locations with calcareous or sandy soils.

• Lebanese distribution: Reported by Mouterde from Mount Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley — notably Zahlé, Dahr el-Baïdar, Barouk, and Ras Baalbeck; commonly parasitic on Artemisia, Medicago, and Heliotropium species in montane steppe habitats.

• Native to: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Altay, Austria, Baleares, Belarus, Canary Is., Cape Verde, Central European Russia, China Southeast, Corse, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kirgizstan, Krym, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Madeira, Morocco, Myanmar, North Caucasus, Northwest European Russia, NW. Balkan Pen., Pakistan, Palestine, Portugal, Romania, Sardegna, Saudi Arabia, Sicilia, Sinai, South European Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tibet, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, West Himalaya, Xinjiang, Yemen, Zambia (POWO).

• Introduced into: Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Argentina South, Belgium, Botswana, British Columbia, Bulgaria, California, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, Caroline Is., Chile Central, Chile North, Colorado, Cyprus, Czechia-Slovakia, East Himalaya, Eswatini, Fiji, Free State, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Idaho, Jawa, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Line Is., Madagascar, Mauritius, Montana, Nebraska, Netherlands, Nevada, New Caledonia, New Mexico, New South Wales, New Zealand North, North Dakota, Northern Provinces, Northern Territory, Oregon, Poland, Queensland, Réunion, Seychelles, Society Is., South Australia, Tuamotu, Uganda, Uruguay, Utah, Victoria, Washington, Western Australia, Wyoming (POWO).

• ⚠️ Taxonomic note: Cuscuta approximata is one of the most widespread parasitic dodders of the C. planiflora group, recognised by its campanulate corolla, truncate fringed scales, and short styles with closely set stigmas. The epithet approximata refers to the nearly touching stigmas, a key feature distinguishing it from C. planiflora and C. campestris. In Lebanon, it parasitises a broad range of hosts in dry montane grasslands and steppe environments, forming golden-orange mats across open slopes.