අග මුල නැති වැල් [Aga mula neti wel]/Golden Dodder/Field Dodder (Cuscuta campestris)

Introduced and naturalized parasitic leafless vine native to temperate and tropical North America. Common in paddy field margins, roadsides, railway tracks, waste grounds, etc. from sea level to about 1000 m a.s.l. on varies host plants (About 161 plants were observed by a study including rice*) . It is widely distributed in the dry lowlands.  Mikania cordata and Wedelia trilobata appear to be the primary host plants.

අග මුල නැති වැල්/Dodder (Cuscuta chinensis) 

Trimen H., 1895 and Austin, 1980 identified cuscuta spp. found in the low country as Cuscuta chinensis. Trimen in 1895 reported that it is very rare and only found in the suburbs of the Colombo parasitizing on grass, low herbs and shrubs. Austin in 1980 claimed that Cuscuta seeds may have been introduced to the country with imported rice from China. Base on a taxonomical study conducted on Cuscuta species found in the low country in 2004* it was revealed that most probably the above mentioned C. chinensis is an incorrect identification of Cuscuta campestris.

References:

*Jayasinghe C., Wijesundara D.S.A., Tennekoon K.U. & Marambe B. 2004, Cuscuta species in the lowlands of Sri Lanka, their host range and host - parasite association, Tropical Agricultural Research Vol. 16: 223-241 (2004)

Trimen H. 1895, Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon.

Austin D.F. 1980, Convolvulaceae. pp. 305-307, In: Dasanayaka, M.D. & Fosberg F.R.. Revised Hand Book to the Flora of Ceylon, Vol 1.