Goldenthread (var. papillata) Cuscuta salina var. papillata variety
Goldenthread (var. papillata) is a perennial vine native to the lower 48 states. A host for pollen-specialist native bees.
More about this plant
Cuscuta salina is a species of dodder known by the English name salt marsh dodder and is a native plant of western North America. The habitat includes coastal tidal wetlands in California, as well as saline habitats away from the coast, such as vernal pools and salt flats. Salt Marsh Dodder is a parasitic plant, wrapping orange-colored stems around natural wetland vegetation and absorbing nutrients of host plants via their specialized structures called haustoria. Wikipedia →
Growing & care
USDA PLANTS · TRY- Hardiness
- ≥ zone 8 derived from its U.S. range
- Lifespan
- Perennial
Wildlife & pollinators
How pollinator value is scored →❧ Caterpillar hosts ~2 caterpillar species
Cuscuta supports ~2 caterpillar species.
Native butterfly & moth caterpillars are the base of the terrestrial food web — most songbirds rear their young almost entirely on them. As a host for native Lepidoptera this is a modest genus.
Recorded feeding on Cuscuta in North America, including:
✦ Bees specialist-bee host
Specialist native bees depend on it.
Some native bees are pollen specialists (oligolectic) — they raise young only on pollen from particular plant genera. Cuscuta is a recorded specialist-bee host, so losing it can mean losing the bee that relies on it.
Related plants
More Cuscuta →
Sources for this entry (12) Open & cited
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