Dodder

Member of Dodder Family

Blooms: April - November

This is such a strange plant, no leaves , just a cream to yellow-orange vine that is very aggressive and tightly twines itself around all plants in its path. Dodder is a genus of about 100 species of yellow, orange or red parasitic herbaceous plants.It blooms at certain times of the year, usually in late summer and has tiny white blooms in clusters, but no roots or leaves. Its seeds are very tiny, once they germinate, usually within 7-10 days, the plant taps into the host plant and begins to grow off a host plant, the root system then dies and the vine becomes completely dependent on its host, usually killing the plant. They can be a problem for farmers crops as they can completely cover all plant life with a thick mat of yellow vines.

Many tales of folklore have been told about this unusual plant. Its common names are such as Strangleweed, Tangle-Gut, Love Vine, Witches Shoelaces to name a few. The plant can be used to make a bright yellow dye. Native Americans used a poultice of the crushed stems to treat bruises and for inflammation.

JESUS said, " I AM the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from ME you can do nothing."

John 15:5