Alfalfa dodder vs Black Bent

Cuscuta approximata compared with Agrostis gigantea

Key Differences

• Alfalfa dodder is Not Evaluated while Black Bent is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alfalfa dodder	Black Bent
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Solanales (Solanales)	Poales (Grasses)
Family	Convolvulaceae	Poaceae (Grass Family)
Genus	Cuscuta	Agrostis
Species	Cuscuta approximata	Agrostis gigantea

Evolutionary Relationship

Alfalfa dodder and Black Bent share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Magnoliophyta. (Flowering Plants)

Conservation Status

Alfalfa dodder

NE — Not Evaluated

Black Bent

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alfalfa dodder	Black Bent
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alfalfa dodder

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (China, Tajikistan), Europe (Hungary, Sweden), North America (Canada, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia).

Black Bent

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests within the Neotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (Japan), Europe (11 countries), North America (4 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (5 countries).

Alfalfa dodder

The Alfalfa dodder (Cuscuta approximata) is a species in the genus Cuscuta. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Black Bent

The Black Bent (Agrostis gigantea) is a species in the genus Agrostis. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests within the Neotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇦🇺 Australia 🇨🇦 Canada 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States