Clover Dodder vs ヒバリ

Cuscuta epithymum compared with Alauda arvensis

Key Differences

Clover Dodder is Endangered while ヒバリ is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Clover Dodder	ヒバリ
Kingdom	Plantae (植物)	Animalia (動物)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (被子植物門)	Chordata (脊索動物)
Class	Magnoliopsida (モクレン綱)	Aves (鳥類)
Order	Solanales (ナス目)	Passeriformes (スズメ目)
Family	Convolvulaceae	Alaudidae
Genus	Cuscuta	Alauda
Species	Cuscuta epithymum	Alauda arvensis

Conservation Status

Clover Dodder

EN — Endangered

ヒバリ

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Clover Dodder	ヒバリ
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic 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.

ヒバリ

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests spanning the Australasia and Oceanian realms.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (5 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

ヒバリ

ヒバリ（Alauda arvensis）は、飛翔中に歌う複雑で美しい声でヨーロッパの文学と詩に称えられてきました。ヨーロッパとアジア全域の開けた農地、草地、荒野の上空を数百メートルも垂直に舞い上がりながら、最長1時間にわたって途切れなく歌い続けます。雄は700種類以上の独特なさえずりを発することができます。かつてヨーロッパの農地で非常に多かったヒバリの個体数は、農業の集約化により1970年代から70%以上減少しています。