Cassytha filiformisL.

devil's gut

WFO wfo-0000589782 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 8 separate observations

Cassytha filiformis, photographed by Greg Tasney
fig. a Greg Tasney, CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2022-06-13 / obs. 205981585

Every figure is a research-grade observation under CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA, rehosted with the photographer’s name, the licence and the observation it came from. Photographs under a NonCommercial licence are excluded from this site and are never stored, which costs us a great many pictures and is not negotiable.

Native range 139 botanical countries

Regions where Cassytha filiformis is native: Aldabra, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, Central African Republic, Chad, Chagos Archipelago, Comoros, Congo, DR Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Mozambique Channel Is., Namibia, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Réunion, Rodrigues, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, China South-Central, China Southeast, Hainan, Japan, Kazan-retto, Nansei-shoto, Ogasawara-shoto, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Yemen, Andaman Is., Bangladesh, Bismarck Archipelago, Cambodia, Cocos (Keeling) Is., India, Jawa, Laccadive Is., Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maldives, Maluku, Myanmar, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Philippines, Solomon Is., South China Sea, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Vietnam, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia, Florida, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Southeast, Caroline Is., Cook Is., Fiji, Gilbert Is., Hawaii, Line Is., Marianas, Marquesas, Marshall Is., Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Phoenix Is., Pitcairn Is., Samoa, Santa Cruz Is., Society Is., Tokelau-Manihiki, Tonga, Tuamotu, Tubuai Is., Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis-Futuna Is., Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Cayman Is., Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panamá, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Turks-Caicos Is., Venezuela, Windward Is. AngolaBeninBotswanaBurkinaBurundiCameroonCape ProvincesCentral African RepublicChadCongoDR CongoEswatiniEthiopiaGabonGambiaGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauIvory CoastKenyaKwaZulu-NatalLiberiaMadagascarMalawiMaliMozambiqueNamibiaNigeriaNorthern ProvincesRwandaSenegalSierra LeoneSomaliaTanzaniaTogoUgandaZambiaZimbabweChina South-CentralChina SoutheastHainanJapanSaudi ArabiaTaiwanYemenBangladeshBismarck ArchipelagoCambodiaIndiaJawaLaosLesser Sunda Is.MalayaMalukuMyanmarNew GuineaPhilippinesSolomon Is.Sri LankaSulawesiSumateraVietnamNew South WalesNorthern TerritoryQueenslandWestern AustraliaFloridaMexico GulfMexico SoutheastFijiHawaiiNew CaledoniaBelizeBoliviaBrazil NorthBrazil NortheastBrazil SouthBrazil SoutheastBrazil West-CentralColombiaCosta RicaCubaDominican RepublicFrench GuianaGuatemalaGuyanaHaitiHondurasJamaicaNicaraguaPanamáPuerto RicoSurinameTrinidad-TobagoVenezuela AldabraChagos ArchipelagoComorosMauritiusMozambique Channel Is.RéunionRodriguesSeychellesNansei-shotoAndaman Is.Laccadive Is.MaldivesNicobar Is.South China SeaCaroline Is.Cook Is.Line Is.MarianasMarquesasMarshall Is.NauruNiuePitcairn Is.SamoaSociety Is.Tokelau-ManihikiTongaTuamotuTubuai Is.TuvaluVanuatuWallis-Futuna Is.BahamasCayman Is.Leeward Is.Netherlands AntillesTurks-Caicos Is.Windward Is.
Native distribution of Cassytha filiformis, after Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where the plant is from, not everywhere it now grows. Regions too small to draw at this scale are marked with a dot.
RegionTDWG codeContinent
Aldabra ALD AFRICA
Angola ANG
Benin BEN
Botswana BOT
Burkina BKN
Burundi BUR
Cameroon CMN
Cape Provinces CPP
Central African Republic CAF
Chad CHA
Chagos Archipelago CGS
Comoros COM
Congo CON
DR Congo ZAI
Eswatini SWZ
Ethiopia ETH
Gabon GAB
Gambia GAM
Ghana GHA
Guinea GUI
Guinea-Bissau GNB
Ivory Coast IVO
Kenya KEN
KwaZulu-Natal NAT
Liberia LBR
Madagascar MDG
Malawi MLW
Mali MLI
Mauritius MAU
Mozambique MOZ
Mozambique Channel Is. MCI
Namibia NAM
Nigeria NGA
Northern Provinces TVL
Réunion REU
Rodrigues ROD
Rwanda RWA
Senegal SEN
Seychelles SEY
Sierra Leone SIE
Somalia SOM
Tanzania TAN
Togo TOG
Uganda UGA
Zambia ZAM
Zimbabwe ZIM
Bahamas BAH SOUTHERN AMERICA
Belize BLZ
Bolivia BOL
Brazil North BZN
Brazil Northeast BZE
Brazil South BZS
Brazil Southeast BZL
Brazil West-Central BZC
Cayman Is. CAY
Colombia CLM
Costa Rica COS
Cuba CUB
Dominican Republic DOM
French Guiana FRG
Guatemala GUA
Guyana GUY
Haiti HAI
Honduras HON
Jamaica JAM
Leeward Is. LEE
Netherlands Antilles NLA
Nicaragua NIC
Panamá PAN
Puerto Rico PUE
Suriname SUR
Trinidad-Tobago TRT
Turks-Caicos Is. TCI
Venezuela VEN
Windward Is. WIN
Caroline Is. CRL PACIFIC
Cook Is. COO
Fiji FIJ
Gilbert Is. GIL
Hawaii HAW
Line Is. LIN
Marianas MRN
Marquesas MRQ
Marshall Is. MRS
Nauru NRU
New Caledonia NWC
Niue NUE
Phoenix Is. PHX
Pitcairn Is. PIT
Samoa SAM
Santa Cruz Is. SCZ
Society Is. SCI
Tokelau-Manihiki TOK
Tonga TON
Tuamotu TUA
Tubuai Is. TUB
Tuvalu TUV
Vanuatu VAN
Wallis-Futuna Is. WAL
Andaman Is. AND ASIA-TROPICAL
Bangladesh BAN
Bismarck Archipelago BIS
Cambodia CBD
Cocos (Keeling) Is. CKI
India IND
Jawa JAW
Laccadive Is. LDV
Laos LAO
Lesser Sunda Is. LSI
Malaya MLY
Maldives MDV
Maluku MOL
Myanmar MYA
New Guinea NWG
Nicobar Is. NCB
Philippines PHI
Solomon Is. SOL
South China Sea SCS
Sri Lanka SRL
Sulawesi SUL
Sumatera SUM
Vietnam VIE
China South-Central CHC ASIA-TEMPERATE
China Southeast CHS
Hainan CHH
Japan JAP
Kazan-retto KZN
Nansei-shoto NNS
Ogasawara-shoto OGA
Saudi Arabia SAU
Taiwan TAI
Yemen YEM
New South Wales NSW AUSTRALASIA
Northern Territory NTA
Queensland QLD
Western Australia WAU
Florida FLA NORTHERN AMERICA
Mexico Gulf MXG
Mexico Southeast MXT

Not drawn on the map: Kazan-retto, Ogasawara-shoto, Cocos (Keeling) Is., Gilbert Is., Phoenix Is., Santa Cruz Is.. We hold no public-domain boundary for these regions, so they are listed rather than guessed at.

Region boundaries approximated from Natural Earth (public domain) and mapped to TDWG World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD) level-3 botanical countries (Brummitt 2001). Indicative, not the official WGSRPD geometry.

Flowering 212 in flower of 568 examined

Proportion of examined Cassytha filiformis in flower, by month
Month In flower Examined Share 95% interval
Jan 33 65 51% 39% to 63%
Feb 18 53 34% 23% to 47%
Mar 24 70 34% 24% to 46%
Apr 25 72 35% 25% to 46%
May 12 57 21% 12% to 33%
Jun 9 25 36% 20% to 55%
Jul 13 42 31% 19% to 46%
Aug 14 42 33% 21% to 48%
Sep 10 38 26% 15% to 42%
Oct 11 20 55% 34% to 74%
Nov 20 31 65% 47% to 79%
Dec 23 53 43% 31% to 57%

Peak flowering in Nov. Each bar is the share of Cassytha filiformis observations in which someone actually recorded the reproductive state and found the plant in flower, not the raw number of flowering records. That distinction matters: people observe plants far more in spring than in winter, so a bare count of flowering records partly measures when people go outside. Dividing by the number examined removes that. 212 of 568 examined observations were in flower, every one of them research grade. The whisker on each bar is a 95% Wilson interval. This is still a global aggregate and not a forecast for your garden: the same species flowers on different dates in different hemispheres. Where a species has fewer than 30 flowering records we do not draw this chart at all. Computed from 10.15468/dl.cgje2x.

Also published as 29 synonyms

A synonym is not an error. It is a record of botanists disagreeing, in print, about where this plant belongs. Each of these was somebody’s considered answer.

  • Calodium cochinchinense Lour.
  • Calodium cochinchinensis Lour.
  • Cassytha americana Nees
  • Cassytha americana var. brachystachya Meisn.
  • Cassytha americana var. brasiliensis (Mart. ex Nees) Meisn.
  • Cassytha americana var. puberula Meisn.
  • Cassytha aphylla Raeusch.
  • Cassytha archboldiana C.K.Allen
  • Cassytha brasiliensis Mart. ex Nees
  • Cassytha corniculata Burm.f.
  • Cassytha cuscutiformis Meisn.
  • Cassytha dissitiflora Meisn.
  • Cassytha filiformis f. pycnantha Domin
  • Cassytha filiformis subsp. guineensis (Schumach. & Thonn.) De Wild.
  • Cassytha filiformis var. pseudopubescens Domin
  • Cassytha filiformis var. puberula (Meisn.) León & Alain
  • Cassytha filiformis var. subpubescens Meisn.
  • Cassytha guineensis Schumach. & Thonn.
  • Cassytha guineensis var. livingstonii Meisn.
  • Cassytha lifuensis Guillaumin
  • Cassytha macrocarpa Guillaumin
  • Cassytha novoguineensis Kaneh. & Hatus.
  • Cassytha paradoxae Proctor
  • Cassytha senegalensis A.Chev.

and 5 more.

Sourcesevery claim on this page

  1. World Flora Online Plant List. accepted name, authority, classification. CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  2. iNaturalist. photographs and flowering annotations, CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA only. per photograph. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  3. Wikidata. common name (P1843), joined on the World Flora Online identifier (P7715). CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  4. Kew, World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP v16). native distribution by TDWG level-3 botanical country, and life form. CC BY 3.0. Retrieved 2026-06-04.

We publish what we can source and we say so when we cannot. This page has no care advice and no toxicity claim, because we do not yet have those from a source we can cite.