M.T.M. RAJPUT & S.S. TAHIR

Stem medium, not interlaced, glabrous, dark brown. Leaves 1.5-2 x c. 1 mm, mostly persistent, cup-shaped, fleshy near the base, margin. scarious, obovate, acute-obtuse. Flowers in compact cymose glomerules, 1.5-2.5 mm Wag; pedicel 1-1.5 mm long; bract leaf-like. Calyx lobes 5, 1.2-1.4 x 1-125 mm, fleshy-membranous, width mostly unequal, glandular, broadly elliptical, obtuse, inflexed; tube c. 1 mm long. Corolla lobes 5, 1.2-1.4 x 1-1.25 mm, broadly elliptical, obtuse, inflexed, pale yellow, glandular, thick, tube c. 1 mm long, scales shorter than corolla tube, membranous, deeply fringed. Stamens 5; filament, 02-0.5 min long; anther oblong-elliptical, brown, basifixed, c. 0.5 x 0.2 mm. Ovary globose, dark brown, thick, c. 12 x c. 1 mm; styles 2, unequal, stout, 0.6-1 mm long, subulate; stigma capitate, brown c. 0.2 mm in diameter. Capsule globose or ± obpyriform, thick, dark brown, seeds not visible from outside, slightly depressed, with large intrastylar opening, not circumscissfle with a difinite line of cleavage, 2-2.5 x 2.7-32 mm. Seeds 3-4 per capsule, irregularly ovoid, brown, glossy, smooth, 1-1.5 x c. 1 mm.

Type: Nova Hollandia, Caley, R. Brown (BM, MO).

Distribution: Africa, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India to Eastern China, Japan, Korea, Southward to Java, Australia and New Guinea.

Host: Often on Polygonum.

This species is very close to Cuscuta campestris from which ft can be distinguished by its capsule, which is dark brown and very thick, so that seeds are not visible from outside and also by its style which is subulate and appears to be gynobasic. Cuscuta australis var. cesatiana (Bert.) Yuncker is not recognized here; the status of this variety could not be determined, in view of the limited number of specimens.