Cuscuta reflexa - Dodder

Family:	Convolvulaceae
Habit:	Perennial
Synonyms:
Range:	E. Asia - Himalayas from Afghanistan to China.

Cuscuta reflexa (Dodder) is a Perennial. It has a hardness rating of 0.
The flowers from this plant are hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and they are pollinated by

Soil Information

Dodder will grow in light (sandy),medium (loamy),hard (clay) soil. It is not necessary for the soil to be well drained.
The soil prefers the following PH / acid levels :
- pH of less than 6, Acidic soils
- pH between 6 and 8, Neutral soils
- pH greater than 8, Basic soils
Dodder prefers moist soils

Ideal Planting Locations

Dodder can grow in semi or areas with no shade.

Parasitic on Desmodium spp, Rubus spp and Viburnum spp at 1700 - 2900m in Kashmir[145]. It is also found on Zizyphus jujube and Vitex negundo and has been known to kill these plants[146].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• Grows within a woodland garden
• Works within dappled Shade

Cultivation Details

We have virtually no information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain. One report says that it needs cold greenhouse treatment in this country[1] but some provenances from the higher parts of its range could succeed outdoors. This is a parasitic species that is devoid of leaves, roots or chlorophyll and so is totally dependant upon its host[238]. It must be grown next to the host plant, which it penetrates with suckers in order to obtain nutriment[238].

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 0/5
None known

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 2/5
The seeds are alterative, anthelmintic and carminative[240, 243]. They are used in the treatment of bilious disorders[240]. The stems are used in the treatment of bilious disorders[243]. The whole plant is purgative[240, 243]. It is used internally in treating protracted fevers and externally in the treatment of body pains and itchy skin[240, 243, 272]. The plant is employed in Ayurvedic medicine to treat difficulty in urinating, jaundice, muscle pain and coughs[254]. The juice of the plant, mixed with the juice of Saccharum officinarum, is used in the treatment of jaundice[272]. The analysis of the plant differs according to the host it is growing on[240]. The report does not say if this makes a difference to its medicinal properties[K].

• Alterative - Causes a gradual beneficial change in the body, usually through improved nutrition and elimination, without having any marked specific action.
• Anthelmintic - Expels parasites from the gut.
• Carminative - Reduces flatulence and expels gas from the intestines.
• Purgative - A drastic laxative causing a cleansing or watery evacuation of the bowels, usually with a griping pain.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn, by lodging it among the stems of a host plant that is being grown in a pot in the greenhouse[238].

Known Hazards

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivars

no recorded cultivars

References

RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
F. Chittendon.
Author: F. Chittendon.
Rating:
Publisher : Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
Date of Publication : 1951

Flora of China

Author:
Rating: http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
Publisher : On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.
Date of Publication : 1994

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