• Cuscuta, commonly known as dodder, it is a species of yellow, orange, or red parasitic plants. Formerly treated as the only genus in the family Cuscutaceae, it now is accepted as belonging in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae, on the basis of the work of the Angiosperm Phylogeny

• Cuscuta are plant parasites that connect to the vasculature of their host plants to extract water, nutrients, and even macromolecules.