Cassytha

? Cassytha {{{status}}} Fossil range: {{{fossil_range}}}
Cassytha filiformis
Plant Info
Common name(s): {{{common_names}}} Growth habit: {{{growth_habit}}} Height: ⇕ {{{high}}} Width: ⇔ {{{wide}}} Lifespan: ⌛ {{{lifespan}}} Exposure: ☼ {{{exposure}}} Water: ☂ {{{water}}} Features: ❀ {{{features}}} Poisonous: ☠ {{{poisonous}}} Hardiness: ❆ {{{hardiness}}} USDA Zones: {{{usda_zones}}} Sunset Zones: {{{sunset_zones}}}
Scientific classification
Domain: {{{domain}}} Superkingdom: {{{superregnum}}} Kingdom: Plantae Subkingdom: {{{subregnum}}} Superdivision: {{{superdivisio}}} Superphylum: {{{superphylum}}} Division: Magnoliophyta Phylum: {{{phylum}}} Subdivision: {{{subdivisio}}} Subphylum: {{{subphylum}}} Infraphylum: {{{infraphylum}}} Microphylum: {{{microphylum}}} Nanophylum: {{{nanophylum}}} Superclass: {{{superclassis}}} Class: Magnoliopsida Sublass: {{{subclassis}}} Infraclass: {{{infraclassis}}} Superorder: {{{superordo}}} Order: Laurales Suborder: {{{subordo}}} Infraorder: {{{infraordo}}} Superfamily: {{{superfamilia}}} Family: Lauraceae Subfamily: {{{subfamilia}}} Supertribe: {{{supertribus}}} Tribe: {{{tribus}}} Subtribe: {{{subtribus}}} Genus: Cassytha L. Subgenus: {{{subgenus}}} Section: {{{sectio}}} Series: {{{series}}} Species: {{{species}}} Subspecies: {{{subspecies}}}
[[{{{diversity_link}}}|Diversity]]
{{{diversity}}}
Binomial name
{{{binomial}}}
Trinomial name
{{{trinomial}}}
Type Species
{{{type_species}}}
species
See text.
[[Image:{{{range_map}}}|{{{range_map_width}}}|]]
Synonyms
{{{synonyms}}}

Cassytha L. (1753) is a genus of 17 species of parasitic vines in the family Lauraceae, mainly native to Australia, but with a few species in Africa, southern Asia, and one (C. filiformis) in Hawaii, northern South America, Central America southernmost North America (southern Florida) and Japan.

The plants bear a striking, though superficial, resemblance to Cuscuta (dodder), an unrelated genus in the family Convolvulaceae, making an excellent example of convergent evolution.

Selected species

• Cassytha aurea - Australia
• Cassytha candida - Australia
• Cassytha capillaris - Australia
• Cassytha ciliolata - South Africa
• Cassytha flava - Australia
• Cassytha glabella - Australia and Japan (Okinawa)
• Cassytha filiformis - Hawaii, South and Central America, Florida, Japan (Okinawa)
• Cassytha melantha - Australia
• Cassytha micrantha - Australia
• Cassytha nodiflora - Australia
• Cassytha pomiformis - Australia
• Cassytha pubescens - Australia and Japan (Okinawa)
• Cassytha racemosa - eastern Australia

Note that the homonym Cassytha Mill. (1768) is a synonym of the cactus genus Rhipsalis

See also

• Parasitic plant

External links

• Parasitic plants: Cassytha (with distribution map)
• Western Australia Florabase: Cassytha
• Cassytha melantha
• Museum of South Africa: Cassytha ciliolata
• Flora of North America: Cassytha filiformis

References

• Weber, J. Z.:A taxonomic revision of Cassytha (Lauraceae) in Australia.Journal of Adelaide Botanic Gardens 3:187-262, 1981