Dodder is a most unusual weed, as it has no green leaves. It is made up of thin, twining yellow stems that look like a pile of yellow orange spaghetti. Upon germination, the stems search for a host plant to attach its sucker-like structures called “haustoria.” Dodder then feeds off the host plant and no longer needs its own root system, which then disappears, as the dodder becomes wholly parasitic on the host plant. Dodder is used medicinally in Chinese medicine to treat osteoporosis and is a related to both bindweed and Morning Glories.
Growing Home: Dodder
