Cassytha melantha (Coarse Dodder-laurel)

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Cassytha, Genus, melantha, Species,

Genus & species

coarse dodder-laurel

Lauraceae Southern and eastern Australia

Attracts Pollinators Drought Tolerant

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterLow · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 9–11

Overview

Cassytha melantha is an evergreen parasitic twining vine in the family Lauraceae that scrambles over shrubs and small trees, attaching to host stems by small disc-like haustoria that draw water and nutrients. The wiry, branching stems are green to yellow-green or orange, 0.04-0.12 inch (1-3 mm) thick, and largely leafless, with leaves reduced to tiny scales. Small cream to greenish flowers about 0.1 inch (3 mm) across are clustered in short spikes along the stems, followed by fleshy green to black globular fruits 0.2-0.3 inch (5-8 mm) wide. The vine makes some of its own sugars through its green stems but depends on hosts for water, and dense growth can smother and weaken host plants. It spreads over vegetation in heath, woodland, and forest, and birds eat the fruit and spread the seed. Heavy mats are damaged or killed by fire but regrow from surviving stems and seed.

Native Range

Native to southern and eastern Australia, across Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, and Tasmania. Grows in heath, dry forest, and woodland, scrambling over a wide range of shrub and tree hosts.

Suggested Uses

Not cultivated as a garden plant, as it grows only by parasitising living hosts. In native heath and woodland it forms part of the local ecology, with fruit eaten by birds. Its smothering growth makes it unwanted on garden shrubs and in revegetation plantings.

How to Identify

Recognised by wiry, leafless, green to orange twining stems that form tangled mats over other plants, attaching by small disc-like haustoria. Tiny scale leaves, short spikes of small cream flowers, and fleshy green-to-black fruits 0.2-0.3 inch (5-8 mm) wide confirm identity. The coarse, thicker stems, more than 0.04 inch (1 mm) across, separate it from slender-stemmed Cassytha species.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height6' - 15'

Width/Spread6' - 15'

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~16 weeks

Flowers: September–February

Spring Summer

Small cream to greenish flowers appear mainly in spring and summer, from September to February in its native range. Flowering and fruiting overlap, and fleshy fruits ripen from green to black over the following months. Birds feeding on the fruit spread the seed across vegetation.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

cream to greenish

Foliage Description

green to orange

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 4-10 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Low

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grows only as a parasite, scrambling over living shrubs and trees and attaching by haustoria, and cannot be grown in soil on its own. Seed germinates on the ground, and the young stem must reach and attach to a host within weeks or it dies. The green stems make some sugars, but the vine relies on hosts for water and can weaken or smother them in dense growth. It tolerates drought and poor soils through its host and regrows after fire from surviving stems and seed. On garden plants the vine is reduced by pulling the stems away and cutting host stems below the attachment. Heavy mats build up on long-lived shrubs in undisturbed sites.

Pruning

The vine is removed by pulling the tangled stems off the host and cutting infested host stems below the attachment points, as fragments left attached regrow. Repeated removal is needed where seed remains in the soil. The parasite cannot be pruned as a free-standing plant.