We know that parasites are animals that everyone hates. They parasitize in the human body, absorb human nutrition and cause various diseases. Similarly, there are such parasites in the plant world, and dodder is a typical representative. Cuscuta chinensis is a fine rattan like plant. Because there are almost no chloroplasts in the cells in the body, it can not produce enough nutrients by itself. It can only survive by absorbing the nutrition of other plants. Dodder has many suction cups. Its favorite host plants are nettles, soybeans, cotton and other crops. Therefore, dodder is a parasitic plant.
When the warm spring comes, the perennial nettle begins to sprout new seedlings and grow rapidly, but at this time, a seedling like a small white snake will be drilled in the nearby field and climb up, which is the seedling of dodder. As soon as it touches the stem of the nettle, it immediately wraps it tightly, then climbs up along the stem, and wedges it into the nettle stem with a small suction cup to absorb the nutrients inside.
When dodder and nettle grow together, they can't coexist peacefully at all. Using the suction cup tool, dodder has been able to absorb the nutrients in the nettle. Its roots and leaves are useless. The roots gradually disappear, while the leaves degenerate into translucent small scales. In contrast to the roots and leaves, the stems of Cuscuta grow rapidly. They pull out more new stems and entangle the nettles densely. Although the nettle is covered with thorns and can deal with ordinary small animals, it has nothing to do with dodder. Finally, it withers and dies, becoming the victim of dodder. At this time, dodder blooms in clusters of small pink flowers, bears many seeds and falls on the ground. When the next spring, it will reproduce a new generation.
Therefore, some people describe dodder like this: it was like a needle from childhood, grew up, wrapped around the body, sucked other people's blood and raised its own body. These lines of doggerel are used to describe the parasitic characteristics of dodder. It's very vivid.