Common Name: Japanese dodder
Family: Cuscutaceae
Common Synonyms: none
USDA Hardiness Zone: 11-4
Growth Habit: Parasitic vine
Origin: Japan
FISC Category: -
FDACS Listed Noxious Weed: Yes
Introduction Date: 1943
IFAS Assessment:
Leafless, parasitic vine, 1-3 mm in diameter yellow-gold in color. Thick spaghetti-like stems spreading over large shrubs and small trees. Flowers are small, pale yellow, on short dense spikes.
Disturbed sites
Vouchered from Gadsden Co only. Listed as federal noxious weed. Known from several other states. Dispersed by seed (water, soil disturbance, machinery) and vegetatively through stem fragmentation.
Note: Monitor for seedling germination and treat with chemicals (Bugwood Network).
Floridata. 2013. Cuscuta spp. http://www.floridata.com/ref/c/cusc_spp.cfm. Accessed on December 4, 2013.
Oregon Department of Agriculture. 2013. ODA Plant Programs, Noxious Weed Control: Japanese dodder (Cuscuta japonica). http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/plant/weeds/Pages/profile_japanesedodder.aspx. Accessed on December 4, 2013.
University of Georgia - Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. 2013. Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States: Japanese dodder (Cuscuta japonica Choisy). http://www.invasiveplantatlas.org/subject.html?sub=5446. Accessed on December 4, 2013.