Dodder is a strange looking plant. It has no green leaves and almost no photosynthesis. Dodder resembles spaghetti with thin piles of yellow stems draped over another plant. After germinating, young dodder stems attach to a green plant and with tiny sucker-like structures, it accesses water and nutrients from the host plant. Dodder’s roots then die away. Dodder is related to morning glory and bindweed and used in traditional Chinese medicine. Dodder also can transmit chemical signals between plants. Host plants can even receive warnings of adjacent insect attacks through dodder stems.
Growing Home - Dodder
