Look out for this parasitic plant

Have you seen that orange thread-like stuff draped over the top of plants in a salt marsh? It’s a parasitic annual plant: dodder, Cuscuta species. Dodder is capable of photosynthesis, but it gets most of its energy by attaching to a host plant. A new seedling must attach to a host plant within 5 to 10 days to survive.

In a salt marsh, Cuscuta salina attaches to pickleweed (Sarcocornia), arrowgrass (Triglochin), alkali heath (Frankenia) or Jaumea. Another dodder species, Cuscuta californica, parasitizes shrubs in the chaparral on Mount Tamalpais. Some of these host plants are coyote bush, toyon and ceanothus.

The infestation of dodder doesn’t usually kill the host plants. However, if the infestation is severe, plants will die. In agricultural fields, preemergent herbicides are sometimes used to control dodder. This won’t be necessary in a home garden because hand-pulling will be enough.

— katie martin, UC Marin Master Gardeners