Lauraceae - Cassytha

Family Description

Distribution Map

List of Genera

Cassytha (called love-vine in the Bahamas) bears an uncanny resemblance to dodder (the genus Cuscuta) but is not related to it at all! Cassytha is in Lauraceae, the same family as Sassafras, avocado, and cinnamon whereas dodder is in Convolvulaceae and is related to morning-glory vines. If one looks closely at the flowers, love-vine is quite clearly a member of Lauraceae.

Photographs

Cassytha capillaris

• Photo Peninsular Botanical Garden Thung Kai, Prov. Trang, Peninsular Thailand, 50 m alt. Photograph October 2005 by A. S. Fleischmann.
• Photo showing close-up of fruits with the conspicious fleshy rims. Location same as above. Photograph October 2005 by A. S. Fleischmann.
• Photo. Habit of plant. Gibbie Creek, 50 km SW of Victoria River Downs in Gregory National Park, Northern Territory, Australia. Photo by Tony from Sydney. Link goes to Flickr.

Cassytha ciliolata

• Photo. Habit of plant parasitic on Cliffortia cuneata (Rosaceae). Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, South Africa. Photo by Ernesto Sandoval. Link goes to Flickr.

Cassytha filiformis

• Photo The "love-vine" of Andros Island, Bahamas. The plant is used, along with others, in love potions. My experience with tea made from the plant indicates it has lots of caffeine, and tastes a bit like root beer to boot!
• Photo Habit, clambering over the beach strand vegetation, Andros Island, Bahamas.
• Photo 1 and photo 2. Flowering shoots. Cuba.  From the Neotropical Live Plant Photos web site. Photo IDs 27043, 27266.  Photo by Robin Foster
• Photo A dense population of the parasite in Florida, USA. Photo by L. J. Musselman.
• Photo Hyperparasite on Exocarpos (Santalaceae). Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. August 18, 1981. Photo by Job Kuijt.
• Photos. Search "Cassytha" on Phytoimages. Photos by Dan Nickrent.
• Photo Inflorescence. Plant parasitic on a coastal Scaevola. Lissenung Island near Kavieng, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. Photo by Gerhard Glatzel.
• Photo Closer view of the flowers. Lissenung Island near Kavieng, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. Photo by Gerhard Glatzel.
• Photo Fruits. Lissenung Island near Kavieng, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. Photo by Gerhard Glatzel.
• Photo Fruit on plant. Photo by D. L. Nickrent, Andros Island, Bahamas.
• Photo Fruits. Photo by L. J. Musselman.
• Photo Seedlings. Photo by L. J. Musselman

Cassytha pubescens

• Photo Habit of the plant twining on a woody host. Photo by Greg Jordan. See Key to Tasmanian Dicots.
• Photo Extreme close-up of the flower showing the valvate anthers, typical of the family Lauraceae. Photo by Greg Jordan.
• Photo. Habit of plant. Curra Moors Track, Royal National Park, south of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Photo by Tony from Sydney. Link goes to Flickr.
• Photo. This plant has been referred to as C. paniculata or C. paniculata var. phaeolasia. In his monograph of the genus, Weber (1981) made these synonyms of C. pubescens. But in the 2007 (vol. 2) issue of Flora of Australia, the name C. pubescens was retained. So maybe this is a different species? Middle Head, at entrance to Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. Photo by Tony from Sydney. Link goes to Flickr.
• Photo. Showing pubescent fruits. Australia. Photo by Andrew Paget. Link goes to Flickr.

Cassytha sp.

• Photo on tree in Zimbabwe. Photo by L. J. Musselman.
• Photo. Stem of an unidentified species of Cassytha forming haustoria on Xanthorrhoea. Note the way the endophyte spreads within the host tissue! Berowra to Cowan section, near Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Photo by David Midgley. Link goes to Flickr.

Phylogeny

References to Cassytha