Cuscuta reflexa

Giant dodder

Family: Convolvulaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Giant dodder is a naturalized parasitic plant found in southern California valleys and coastal regions at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering from August to October, this plant produces small clustered flowers in delicate raceme-like arrangements with white to cream-colored petals. Growing as a thin, twining parasitic vine that attaches to woody host plants, it lacks chlorophyll and relies entirely on its host for nutrients. Its flowers are distinctive, with five-part structures featuring triangular-ovate lobes and delicate fringed internal scales. The fruit is a small, spherical capsule containing one to four seeds arranged in a puzzle-like cellular pattern.

Habitat: Woody pls, e.g.,

Bloom period: Aug-Oct

Elevation: < 100 m

Bioregions: Formerly CaRH, ScV, SnGb

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.