1 / 15

Cuscuta epithymum

clover dodder

Convolvulaceae

Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia

Attracts Pollinators Fragrant (light)

SunFull Sun

WaterLow

Overview

Cuscuta epithymum is a parasitic annual with thin, thread-like, twining stems that are reddish to purplish and lack normal leaves and roots. The stems wind tightly around host plants and attach by small suckers (haustoria) that penetrate the host to draw water and nutrients; once attached, the dodder loses its connection to the soil. Leaves are reduced to tiny scales, and the plant has little or no green colour, so it depends entirely on its host. From summer to autumn it produces dense, rounded clusters of small pink to white flowers 0.1-0.2 inch (2.5-4 mm) across, lightly scented, scattered along the stems. Tiny capsules follow, each with a few small seeds. It commonly grows over heather, clover, gorse, thyme, and other low plants, forming tangled reddish mats. Heavy infestations weaken and can kill the host plants, and it is treated as an injurious weed of clover and other crops.

Native Range

Native to Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia, and naturalized in North America and other regions. Grows wherever suitable host plants occur, on heathland, dry grassland, dunes, and in clover and legume crops, mostly on dry, open, sunny ground from lowlands to lower mountain slopes.

Suggested Uses

Not grown ornamentally and not cultivated; it occurs only as a parasitic weed of heathland, grassland, and clover and legume crops. It has no garden or amenity use. In crops and gardens it is removed with its host plants to prevent spread.

How to Identify

Recognized by leafless, thread-like reddish stems with no roots, twining over and matted across low host plants, and dense rounded clusters of small pink to white flowers in summer. The stems are about as thick as coarse thread and bear only tiny scale-leaves. Differs from larger dodders such as Cuscuta europaea, which has thicker stems and grows mainly on nettles and hops, by its slender stems and preference for heathers, clovers, and thyme.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Width/Spread1' - 3'4"

Colors

Flower Colors

pink

white

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~14 weeks

Summer Fall

Flowers from June to September. The small scented flowers are clustered along the stems and are pollinated by small insects or self-pollinate. Seed ripens through late summer and autumn and can stay viable in soil for several years before germinating near a host.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

pink to white

Foliage Description

reduced to tiny scales; stems reddish, without green foliage

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun

Requires 6-12 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

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grows in full sun on dry, open ground wherever suitable host plants are present, and cannot grow without a host. Seed germinates at the soil surface in late spring and produces a short-lived rootless seedling that must reach and attach to a host within a few days or it dies. Once attached, it draws all its water and nutrients from the host and spreads stem to stem across neighbouring plants. It needs no soil or feeding of its own after attachment. Heavy growth weakens hosts and reduces clover and legume crop yields. Removing and destroying infested plant material before seed sets limits its spread.

Pruning

Infested host growth is cut out and destroyed before the dodder flowers and sets seed, since cutting the host removes the parasite with it. There is no separate plant to prune, as the dodder has no roots of its own. Material left in place allows seed to ripen and spread the infestation.