Cuscuta salina (salt-marsh dodder) lacks chlorophyll and occurs as a symbiont on Salicornia virginica (pickleweed) or less commonly on other salt-marsh species. Stems are yellow to bright orange in color, leaves are much-reduced scales, and flowers are small, bell-shaped and white. This is the only dodder species that occurs in saline environments in our area. Cuscuta salina derives nutrients through haustoria that penetrate the host plant vascular system. Dodder is at least partially attracted to host plants by airborne volatile chemical cues.
Haustorium (pl. haustoria) = a specialized root-like organ used by parasitic plants to draw nourishment from host plants.
