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Cuscuta
Also called Dodders
Dodder is a genus of leafless, yellow to orange parasitic vines that wrap around and feed on other plants. It is a weed of crops rather than a plant grown for care, and it has little chlorophyll, so it depends on its host for nutrients and water.
Cuscuta (), commonly known as dodder or amarbel, is a genus of over 201 species of yellow, orange, or red (rarely green) parasitic plants. The genus possess minimal chlorophyll and utilize haustoria to extract nutrient and water from host's vascular system. Formerly treated as the only genus in the family Cuscutaceae, it now is accepted as belonging in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae, on the basis of the work of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group.
The genus is found throughout the temperate and tropical regions of the world, with the greatest species diversity in subtropical and tropical regions. Seedlings locate host plants by sensing volatile organic compounds. Many species are considered noxious weeds that are harmful to agriculture, and some are valued in traditional medicine.
Cuscuta has a cosmopolitan distribution, distributed throughout both tropical and temperate regions. Approximately 75% of the species are native to the Americas (the New World). The genus ranges from deserts and saline environments to riparian and littoral zones. It is distributed from lowland grasslands and forests to disturbed sites and mountain regions. The genus becomes less common in cool temperate climates; for instance, only four species are native to northern Europe.
C. chinensis seeds (simplified Chinese: 菟丝子; traditional Chinese: 菟絲子; pinyin: túsīzǐ) have long been used for osteoporosis in China and some other Asian countries. C. chinensis is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine which is believed to strengthen the liver and kidneys. Cuscuta species are also used as medicine in Himalayan regional medical traditions.
Alfalfa dodder · Field dodder · Cuscuta monogyna · Large Saltmarsh Dodder · Fiveangled dodder · Saltmarsh dodder · Kauna'oa
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Cuscuta by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
