Blanca del Majuelo vs Clover Dodder

Aporia crataegi compared with Cuscuta epithymum

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blanca del Majuelo	Clover Dodder
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (planta)
Phylum	Arthropoda (artrópodos)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (insecto)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Solanales (Solanales)
Family	Pieridae	Convolvulaceae
Genus	Aporia	Cuscuta
Species	Aporia crataegi	Cuscuta epithymum

Conservation Status

Blanca del Majuelo

EN — Endangered

Clover Dodder

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blanca del Majuelo	Clover Dodder
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Blanca del Majuelo

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 9 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found across Asia (Cyprus) and Europe (39 countries). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Clover Dodder

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands, among 8 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Neotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Europe (9 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Argentina, Venezuela). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Blanca del Majuelo

Black-Veined White (Aporia crataegi) está clasificado como En Peligro (EN) en la Lista Roja de la UICN. Presenta un alto riesgo de extinción en estado silvestre, con una disminución significativa de la población y amenazas continuas para su supervivencia.

Clover Dodder

Clover dodder (Cuscuta epithymum) is a parasitic flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae, a leafless, twining vine that obtains all its water and nutrients from host plants via haustoria — specialized penetrating organs that connect to host vascular tissue. The species is almost entirely dependent on its hosts throughout its life, with only brief photosynthetic activity during germination before establishing parasitic connections. C. epithymum parasitizes a wide range of host species including clover (Trifolium), gorse (Ulex), heathers (Erica, Calluna), thyme (Thymus), and other plants in open heathland, grassland, and scrub habitats. The stems are thread-like, yellowish-pink or reddish, and support clusters of small white to pale pink flowers. Originally widespread across Europe, Asia, North Africa, and the Americas, the species has declined significantly in many parts of its range due to agricultural intensification, herbicide application, grassland conversion, and loss of semi-natural heathlands. It is currently listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, reflecting population decline across its European core range. Conservation of C. epithymum requires the maintenance of unimproved, low-nutrient grasslands and heathlands that support its diverse host plant communities. The species is recorded from Africa, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America, though populations in some regions represent introductions associated with contaminated legume seed lots.