Cuscuta campestris is a parasitic plant which belongs to the family Convolvulaceae

Convolvulaceae

Convolvulaceae, known commonly as the bindweed or morning glory family, are a group of about 60 genera and more than 1,650 species of mostly herbaceous vines, but also trees, shrubs and herbs.- Description :...

, but was formerly classified in the family Cuscutaceae. It is a parasite of a wide range of herbaceous plants but is most important as a pest of lucerne

Alfalfa

Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...

 and other legumes. It is native to North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, but has become a widespread weed in many countries.

Its common names include 'large-seeded alfalfa dodder' in the USA and 'golden dodder' in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It has been confused in some recent literature with Cuscuta pentagona

Cuscuta pentagona

Cuscuta pentagona is a parasitic plant which is placed in the family Convolvulaceae, but was formerly classified in the family Cuscutaceae. It is a parasite of a wide range of herbaceous plants but is most important as a pest of lucerne and other legumes....

Engelmann, but the differences between the two species are clear .