Weed of the Week: Swamp Dodder
Highlighting one popular (or unpopular) weed from the classic book Weeds of the Cranberry Marsh: Jed Colquhoun, Teryl Roper, Josh Sulman. ©2009 by the Wisconsin Cranberry Board, Inc. Available: https://fruit.webhosting.cals.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2016/02/Weeds-of-the-Cranberry-Marsh-Colquhoun-et-al-2009-WCB.pdf
This week, Swamp Dodder. Pam Verhulst of Lady Bug IMP sent in some additional photos of this unmistakable parasitic weed, so we decided to feature it.
Cuscuta gronovii: Swamp Dodder
life cycle / growth habit: annual parasitic vine
stem: yellow to orange, twining over and attaching to host plant with pad-like haustoria, which pull nutrients from host
leaf: none, unable to photosynthesize significantly
flower: white to yellowish, 1/8 in. across, with five petals; blooms July–October
habitat: moist meadows and thickets, attacking a variety of host plants including cranberry
