This is dodder, a parasitic plant I saw growing on Sanibel Island. As you can see, it has virtually covered its host plant and may have spread to adjacent plants. It grows from seed and must reach a host plant within a few days after germination or it will die. It detects nearby host plants by chemical "sniffing" and grows toward them preferentially. Dodder sinks haustoria (modified roots)into the tissues of the host and the basal part of the plant shrivels away. It produces prodigious amounts of seed and the seed remain viable for 10-50 years. They can be spread by animals and birds as well as cultivation.
Dodder grows in Alabama but in central Alabama it is kept in check by frost and must regrow from seed. I have known it by the name love vine, but other interesting names include strangle weed, devil's-guts,pull down, and golden thread. It is a member of the morning glory family but its flowers are insignificant. I never thought of it as a threat but more of an small nuisance. However from reading I have discovered it can be a mean pest in places and may require mechanical or herbicidal control. Anything that kills dodder will likely kill the host plant also, but this should be done before seeding begins.
Well, that is probably more than most people want to know,but it interests me because there are not many parasitic plants.
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