See list Cuscuta (/kʌsˈkjuːtə/), commonly known as dodder or amarbel, is a genus of over 201 species of yellow, orange, or red (rarely green) parasitic plants.

[5] Cuscuta can be identified by its thin stems appearing leafless, with the leaves reduced to minute scales.

It has very low levels of chlorophyll; some species such as Cuscuta reflexa can photosynthesize slightly, while others such as C. europaea are entirely dependent on the host plants for nutrition.

Dodder is parasitic on a very wide variety of plants, including a number of agricultural and horticultural crop species, such as alfalfa, lespedeza, flax, clover, potatoes, chrysanthemum, dahlia, helenium, trumpet vine, ivy and petunias.

[citation needed] A report published in Science in 2006 demonstrated that dodder use airborne volatile organic compound cues to locate their host plants.

Seedlings of C. pentagona exhibit positive growth responses to volatiles released by tomato and other species of host plants.

When given a choice between volatiles released by the preferred host tomato and the non-host wheat, the parasite grew toward the former.

Dodder attack was also found to induce production of volatiles, including 2-carene, α-pinene, limonene, and β-phellandrene.

Before planting, all clothes should be inspected for dodder seed when moving from an infested area to a non-infested crop.