Prairie dodder

Stems yellow to pale orange, slender to medium. Inflores­cences loose, paniculiform; bracts at base of clusters 1, at base of pedicels 0 or 1, ovate-triangular to lanceolate, mem­branous, margins entire, apex acute. Pedicels 0.5–2.5(–3) mm. Flowers 5-merous, 3–4.6(–5) mm, membranous, not papillate; calyx yellow, cylindric-cupulate, equaling corolla tube length, divided 1/2–2/3 its length, reticulate, not shiny, lobes ovate-triangular, bases slightly overlapping, margins entire, midvein not carinate, without multicellular protuberances, apex obtuse to subacute; corolla white, drying creamy white, 3–4.4 mm, tube narrowly campanulate to cylindro-campanulate, 1.8–2.5 mm, not saccate, lobes spreading to reflexed, triangular, equaling corolla tube length, margins entire, apex acute, inflexed; infrastaminal scales obovate to oblong-spatulate, 1.5–2.1 mm, 3/4–4/5 corolla tube length, bridged at 0.4–0.6 mm, rounded, uniformly densely fimbriate, fimbriae 0.1–0.3 mm; stamens exserted, shorter than corolla lobes; filaments 0.3–0.4 mm; anthers 0.4–0.7 × 0.3–0.5 mm; styles filiform, 1.3–1.6 mm, equaling ovary. Capsules globose to depressed-globose, 1.8–3.2 × 2.2–3.6 mm, not thick­ened or raised around relatively large interstylar aperture, not translucent, 1/2+ enveloped by withered corolla, indehiscent. Seeds 1–4, obcompressed, broadly ellipsoid to obovoid, 1–1.4 × 0.9–1.2 mm, hilum region subterminal.

Flowering Aug–Sep. Hosts: Grindelia, Helianthus, Humulus, Psoralea, Rubus, and Solidago; of conser­vation concern; 1500–2000 m; Nebr., Wyo.