Dodder laurel

Family: Lauraceae
Scientific name: Cassytha filiformis
Description: Plant Form: Scrambling parasitic perennial vine. Size: 3-8 m wide. Stem: Wiry, many stems forming mats, hairy when young. Produce rootlike structures that penetrate host plant tissue. Leaves: Tiny, scale-like, 0.5-2 mm long. Covered in reddish hairs when young. Flowers: Whitish or greenish, clasping to stems in 2 spiralling rows of 3 which form an inflorescence about 2 cm long. Fruit and Seeds: Green, round, smooth, fleshy and oily, 4-10 mm across. Habitat: This native plant inhabits forests, coastal scrub and rainforests. Distinguishing Features: Distinguished from closely related (and also native) Dodder laurel (Cassytha capillaris) by globular rather than oval-shaped fruit which are green rather than red. May be confused with unrelated Cuscata species which have dry fruit and are annual. Impacts: Note - this is a native plant. Weed Status: Non-weedy native lookalike Weed Type: Lifeform: Vine/climber

Example images for this weed