''Cuscuta campestris'', with the

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

s field dodder, golden dodder, large-seeded alfalfa dodder, yellow dodder and prairie dodder, is a

parasitic Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has c ...

plant which belongs to the family

Convolvulaceae Convolvulaceae (), commonly called the bindweeds or morning glories, is a family of about 60 genera and more than 1,650 species. These species are primarily herbaceous vines, but also include trees, shrubs and herbs. The tubers of several spec ...

. It was formerly classified in the family

Cuscutaceae ''Cuscuta'' (), commonly known as dodder or amarbel, is a genus of over 201 species of yellow, orange, or red (rarely green) parasitic plants. Formerly treated as the only genus in the family Cuscutaceae, it now is accepted as belonging in the ...

. It is native to central

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. It is a parasite of a wide range of herbaceous plants. It is a pest of

lucerne Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...

and other

legumes A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock fo ...

. It has become a widespread weed in many countries. It is known as 'golden dodder' in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It has been confused in some recent literature with '' Cuscuta pentagona'' Engelmann, but the differences between the two species are clear. Remarkably, the seeds of the plant have been found to become dispersed by waterfowl in significant numbers.

Lifestyle

Parasitic plants of the genus ''Cuscuta'' have little to no chlorophyll making them unable to undergo photosynthesis, a process by which plants make their own food. This makes them photosynthetically inactive. ''Cuscuta'' species are thus referred to as holoparasitic plants, as they depend on their host plant for nutrients. About 10-15 species of ''Cuscuta'', out of the known 200, are considered agricultural weeds which wrap their vines around their hosts and obtain their nutrients from them through their extensions called

haustoria In botany and mycology, a haustorium (plural haustoria) is a rootlike structure that grows into or around another structure to absorb water or nutrients. For example, in mistletoe or members of the broomrape family, the structure penetrates t ...

. This mechanism for obtaining their food makes them very difficult to remove. Their growth has been cited to cause severe loss to crops that yield alfalfa, tomatoes, carrots and cranberry crops. The life cycle of the ''Cuscuta'' starts with seed germination. The seedlings cannot survive for long periods of time hence, they find the appropriate plant stem by recognizing plant chemo-attractants. ''Cuscuta campestris'' is known for restraining the growth of their host plants and even inhibiting their flowering. This causes the host cell to eventually die. This mechanism gives them the ability to control other populations of weeds like ''Mikania micrantha''. Another mechanism by which these dodders recognize which plants to use as hosts depends on the light that's reflected off the plant's surface. ''Cuscuta campestris'' is highly attracted to "far red light", which is a wavelength that is reflected by most plant surfaces. Dodders that were exposed to unfiltered light were able to attach to their host before their energy had been totally exhausted, but dodders that were only exposed to red light lost their way. This could be a technique by which to control ''C. campestris'' infestations if exposed to red light within the early stages of development, to avoid the spread and growth of the plant.

References

External links

Calflora Database: ''Cuscuta campestris'' (Field dodder)

GBIF−Species in GRIN Taxonomy: ''Cuscuta campestris''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q940418 campestris Flora of the Great Plains (North America) Flora of the United States Flora of the North-Central United States Flora without expected TNC conservation status