# Field Dodder (*Cuscuta campestris*) Field Dodder is a unique plant that doesn't have leaves or roots like most plants. Instead, it wraps around other plants to get nutrients and water. It has thin, yellow-orange stems that look like spaghetti! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 2 - **Habitat:** Grasslands ![Field Dodder](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Cuscuta_campestris.jpeg&width=800) Photo: Kristian Peters -- Fabelfroh 11:46, 16 September 2007 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cuscuta_campestris.jpeg) ## Appearance The Field Dodder is a thin, thread-like plant with distinct yellowish-orange or reddish stems that intricately twine around other plants. It famously lacks noticeable leaves and appears as a tangled mass, often compared to spaghetti or yarn. Its tiny, white to cream-colored flowers bloom in dense clusters along the stems, making it visually distinct from most green-leaved plants. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Solanales - **Family:** Convolvulaceae - **Genus:** Cuscuta ## Interesting facts - Field Dodder's seeds can stay alive in the soil for over ten years, patiently waiting to sprout! - It hardly has any green! It mostly relies on other plants for almost all of its food. - Its tiny seedlings can wiggle around for days, searching for a host plant to grow on! - Many people call it 'Witch's Hair' or 'Devil's Guts' because of its tangled, stringy look! ## Special abilities - **Host Hunter:** Field Dodder can detect chemical signals from nearby plants, helping it find and attach to a suitable host. - **Vampire Vine:** Field Dodder has special suckers called haustoria that pierce host plants to steal their nutrients and water. - **Rootless Wonder:** Field Dodder cuts off its connection to the ground once it has successfully latched onto a host plant. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 50-300 cm - **Spread:** 100-500 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.2-0.4 cm - **Bloom Season:** Summer to fall - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Parasitizes:** [Alfalfa](https://www.snappit.app/explore/alfalfa) (*Medicago sativa*) — Steals nutrients from this crop - **Parasitizes:** [Red Clover](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-clover) (*Trifolium pratense*) — Often found wrapping around clover - **Parasitizes:** [Tomato](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tomato) (*Solanum lycopersicum*) — A common host plant in gardens - **Pollinates:** Honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Honey bees visit its tiny flowers ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals. - [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period. - [Symbiotic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/symbiotic): Describes a relationship between two different species where they live in close association, often benefiting one or both. - [Parasitic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/parasitic): This trait describes organisms that live on or in a host organism, obtaining nutrients at the host's expense. - [Vampiric](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/vampiric): Vampiric organisms are those that obtain nutrients by feeding on the blood or bodily fluids of other animals. - [Invasive](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/invasive): Invasive species are non-native organisms that cause harm to the environment, economy, or human health. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Do not touch or eat any plants without asking an adult first. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Field Dodder? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Field Dodder? 50-300 cm ### How wide does Field Dodder spread? 100-500 cm ### How big are the flowers on Field Dodder? 0.2-0.4 cm ### When does Field Dodder bloom? Summer to fall ### Is Field Dodder edible? No ### Is Field Dodder toxic? None ### What is Field Dodder's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Koko Crater Botanical Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/koko-crater-botanical-garden) — Hawaii, US · Botanical Garden - [Liliuokalani Botanical Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/liliuokalani-botanical-garden) — Hawaii, US · Botanical Garden - [Sea Life Park Hawaii](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/sea-life-park-hawaii) — Hawaii, US · Aquarium [View all places to see Field Dodder](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/field-dodder) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Field Dodder: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/field-dodder)