Have you ever heard of a plant called strangleweed, goldthread, devil’s-guts, or hellbine? How about dodder vine? This vampire-like plant is commonly called dodder vine and it is a genuine plant parasite. Golden yellow to orange in color, this vine has limited chlorophyll and cannot make sufficient food for itself. Because of this deficiency, dodder vines must function as parasites where they obtain nourishment from other plants. I saw a small patch of dodder vine beginning to grow the other day along the side of a road. Did it come from outer space or just from our backyard? Let’s take a closer look at this local plant.
The dodder vine starts from seed that came from a mother plant that has the potential of producing thousands of seeds in a season. If these seeds do not find a suitable environment in which to germinate, they have the ability to remain viable and dormant in the soil for many years. However, once a dodder seed germinates, it has only a few days to find and attach to a host plant or it will die. As the seedling begins to grow it will move and reach out with its worm-like vining habit to hopefully latch onto a suitable host such as onions, peas, beans, potatoes, mums, ivies, petunias, and a multitude of native plants including the Virginia Creeper. Once a host is found, the dodder vine coils around its victim and presses disk-like organs onto and into the plant. This makes the connection to the host plant so that the dodder vine can extract the nutrients it needs to survive. Dodder vines are very eye-catching and worthy of further investigation. Several years ago I saw an infestation that was 10 feet wide and 30 feet long covering an undisturbed area of salt-bush. Imagine plants seemingly covered by a neon orange tangle of wiry, leafless vines! Not only is dodder vine a parasite, but it is also known to spread various plant diseases.
What can you do if you have a dodder vine infestation? Keep in mind that dodder vine seeds can last for a long time and are spread by water, livestock manures, and old previously infested plant materials. There are no specific selective herbicides available to control this weed. Also, even if you used a non-selective herbicide, not only will the dodder vine be killed, but also the desirable plant as well. Your best bet is to hand pull the dodder and its infested host all at once. It is especially important that you destroy the dodder
vine before it sets seeds. The dodder vine can be a challenging pest to deal with and even a broken stem can find a new host. However, with some knowledge and skill you can defeat this parasite in your landscape. For more information on all types of plants in our area, please call our Master Gardener volunteers on the Plant Lifeline on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 to 4 pm at 764-4340 for gardening help and insight into their role as an Extension volunteer. Don't forget to visit our other County Plant Clinics in the area. Please check this link for a complete list of site locations, dates and times - http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/Plant%20Clinics%20Schedule.pdf.
Resources:
Friday, F. (2001) Friday’s Feature – Dodder. Santa Rosa County UF/IFAS Extension Service.
Duever, L.C. (2004) Floridata – Cuscuta spp. Tallahassee, Florida.
Schalau, J. (2009) Dodder: A Plant Parasite. The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County.
Swift, C. (2010) Dodder. Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, Denver County.
Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California. Dodder (Cuscuta spp.) (2014) http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/WEEDS/dodder.html
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