Dodder (Cuscuta sp.)

Peatmoss

Carnivore
I had my first encounter with this strange plant this week:

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There were several large stretches along a creek that were feeding off a variety of hosts - it was so abundant that it looked like patches of goldenrod from a distance. Here are some closeup photos showing the attachment site on an Impatiens and some of the flowers:

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Some species like hops or nettles. They are far from killing them, at most slowing them a wee bit down. But are a bit difficult to grow from seed.
Most time they just do not grow. I had few times some growing in the garden, but never abundant, I could not find out why.
The never stayed more than a year.

I had in my youth a species from India, which does not die after a growing season. Cuscuta reflexa, (Giant Dodder) it grew on almost everything (with me Ficus,Citrus, Begonia, Coleus...)
It never set seed with me, maybe I had only one plant, but was easy to propagate. I just cut off a finger long endpiece and trow it in another plant.
It took hold in a few days and grew on. Once I ripped everything of a Lemon tree. only the deep round sucking scars in the wood were left.
One of these deep scars grew after some weeks a new plant. Its much thicker than our species.
Every piece of the plant is much used in Ajurveda Medicine which I did not know at this time. In Asia they sell the seeds but do not send them to Europe.
I would very much like to have one again. Mine was from seeds I found hiking in the low Himalayans in Northern India.
 
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When I was a teenager, a friend was left alone at his house when his parents went away on a trip for a few months. The house was fine but one day I noticed that the big rock garden was covered in dodder. His parents were coming back the next day. It took us about 3 hours to pick it all off.
 
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