There are approximately 150 species of dodder (Cuscuta), which infect woody and herbaceous plants, including certain economically important crops. Dodder is an obligate parasite, for which the seed germinates on a stem and then invades host stem tissues, from which carbohydrates are exported via an haustorium. Cuscuta has no chlorophyll, and its twining stems are orange, pale yellow, or off-white.