Dodder is a type of destructive weed found throughout most of the world. Dodder plants are parasites that take their food from other plants. A dodder grows from seed in the spring. Soon, however, it attaches itself to a nearby plant by means of specialized roots called suckers or haustoria. The root and older part of the stem then die and break off. Dodder plants destroy a great deal of alfalfa, clover, and flax.
The stems of dodder plants look like yellow, orange, white, and brown threads. The stems twine around other plants and sprawl from one plant to another, forming tangled masses. A dodder’s small, whitish or yellowish flowers often form in dense clusters.
