Cuscuta megalocarpa
| Cuscuta megalocarpa | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Cuscuta megalocarpa (common name: bigfruit dodder)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn, by lodging it among the stems of a host plant[1].
Cultivation: We have virtually no information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in many parts of this country.
This is a parasitic species that is devoid of leaves, roots or chlorophyll and so is totally dependant upon its host[1]. It must be grown next to the host plant, which it penetrates with suckers in order to obtain nutriment[1].
Range: N. America - Minnesota to Montana and south to Colorado.
Habitat: Grows on various shrubs and herbs, also occasionally found on cultivated crops[2].
Edibility: Seed - parched and ground into a meal[3].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: C. curta. Engelm.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.