Dodder

Dodder

(Cuscuta spp.)

Cuscutaceae (Dodder Family)

▲ ▼ dodder on sericea lespedeza plants

▲ ▼ Dodder on western ironweed in Kansas

▲ flower buds of dodder

▲ close-up of stems

Dodder:

annual, parasitic plant with twining, yellow-orange stems that attach to host plants to obtain water and nutrients--looks like yellow-orange spaghetti growing over plants
tiny flower clusters appear along twining stems, and produce abundant, dust-like seeds
tiny seeds germinate, but once stems make contact with a host, the roots die off and the host becomes the main food/water source for the dodder
commonly found on alfalfa, clovers, sericea lespedeza, vegetable gardens, other herbaceous crops
a number of different species exist, but all have similar appearance