Cuscuta europaea

Cultivation Details

The plant grows best in a sunny position, in deep shade the coiling of the stems and attachment to the host is inhibited^[1]. Cuscuta species are obligate parasites with only rudimentary vestiges of leaves and roots. They do not produce chlorophyll and so are totally dependant upon their host for nutrimentt^[2]. Cuscuta reproduces by seed and when this germinates the seedling has only a few days in which to find a host before its food reserves run out and it dies. Assuming it finds a host, the seedling then attaches itself by means of suckers (called haustoria) which penetrate the host and obtain nutriment. The stem below the first point of attachment then dies and the Cuscuta plant has no nore direct contact with the soil. The Cuscuta then twines around its host, often eventually enveloping it and also spreading into suitable hosts nearby. Some Cuscuta species have fairly specific requirements for a host, but many are able to thrive on a wide range of suitable hosts. In Britain this species is found most commonly growing on the roots of stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) and hops (Humulus lupulus)^[3], whilst in China it is found mainly on plants in the families Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Amaranthaceae, though it can also be found on many other herbaceous plants^{[2, 4]}. The life cycle is generally annual, though plants can be propagated by stem cuttings, and sometimes plants can persist as a perennial on a perennial host - even when all visible stems have been killed by winter frost, it is capable of regeneration from the embedded haustoria^[1].