Cassytha

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.

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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

References

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