A new invasive plant is spreading to New Zealand
- Bandu Ranga Kariyawasam
- Jan 25, 2024
- 1 min read
Golden dodder grows in clusters of many small white or green flowers. A single golden dodder plant can produce up to 16,000 seeds and can form a long-lasting, 10-year seed bank. It can survive.
It grows rapidly up to 5 meters in two months, and it closes even non-parasitic plants. It is known to grow 8 cm in 24 hours, 2 mm per hour and 5 meters in two months.
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This parasitic plant appears in early summer. It has yellow to orange leafless, stringy, spaghetti-like stems. The stem produces tendrils that curl around other plants. When tendrils attach to a suitable host, they develop root-like structures that absorb nutrients and water from the host plant.
Golden dodder is toxic to stock and can reduce the growth of forages such as clover.
Golden dodder ( Cuscuta campestris ) is listed as a threatened species in New Zealand. This means that this species can damage natural and physical resources. It is an offense under the Biosecurity Act 1993 to breed, sell, or release golden doders. Knowingly multiplying the plant is also a mistake.
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