Devil’s twine, Slender Dodder laurel
Cassytha glabella

Family: Lauraceae

What it is like

A twining plant. It is without hairs and keeps growing from year to year. The stems are greenish-brown to yellow-orange. Plants have small suckers along the stem which attach to trees. It climbs 1-2 m high and spreads 1-3 m wide. The leaves are very small and scale like. The flowers are very small and white or cream. The fruit have a succulent outer part. There is one seed inside. The fruit are 6-7 mm long. The fruit are edible.

There are 15-20 Cassytha species. Sometimes they are in the family Cassythaceae.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in heathland particularly coastal and open forest. It eventually kills the host plant. Tasmania Herbarium.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia (country/location of origin), Tasmania (country/location of origin)

How it is used for food

CAUTION: The fruit contain small quantities of a poisonous alkaloid and should not be eaten in large quantities. The alkaloid can cause abortion and should not therefore be eaten by pregnant women. The fruit are eaten and used as flavouring in baking.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Seeds germinate on the ground but then parasitise trees.

Its other names

Local names

Tangled dodder laurel

Synonyms