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     FINDING THE PARASITIC DODDER 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     While conducting a vegetative cover survey of Mount Stewart Marsh, 
     
     Roseamry Curley and I discovered a string-like orange plant entwined 
     
     around a number of species of plants on the marsh. The plant proved to 
     
     be the Common (or Swamp) Dodder (Cuscuta gronovii). Dodder is a 
     
    

    
     unique plant with an orange or reddish coloured stem. There are no 
     
     true leaves but instead the plant has tiny scales. The flowers are 
     
     white or cream coloured and produce a large amount of seeds. Most 
     
     amazing is the parasitic nature of the plant. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The seeds of the Dodder germinate into plants without seed leaves and 
     
     the young parasite must find a host to wind itself around within a 
     
     limited period of time or it will die. If the plant successfully 
     
     finds a host, it develops numerous finger-like projections spaced 
     
     along its stem. These suckers penetrate the host plant and through 
     
     these the Dodder feeds. At Mount Stewart, Dodder was found parasitizing 
     
     Spotted Touch-me—not (Impatiens capensis), Aster (Aster novi-belgii), 
     
     Morning-glory (Convolvules sepium) and some of the marsh grasses. 
     
     Eventually the host plant will be robbed of life, as was the case with 
     
     many of the plants that we saw.. Once the Dodder becomes established 
     
     on its host it loses all contact with the soil. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Dodder is a member of the Bindweed family (Convolvulaceae) of which 
     
    

    
     the Morning-glory belongs. There are twelve species of Dodder in 
     
    

    
     North America, the most common species being the Common Dodder, the 
     
     Field Dodder (Cuscuta campestris), the Clover Dodder (Cuscuta epithymum) 
     
     and (Cuscuta umbrosa). Some of the Dodders can prove to be pest 
     
     plants, such as the last mentioned which parasitizes agricultural 
     
    

    
     crops in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Dodder is not included in the species lists prepared for the Island 
     
    

    
     by Hurst (1933) or Erskine (1960). It is, however, shown on the range 
     
     map for P.E.I. in The Flora of Nova Scotia (Roland and Smith, 1969). 
     
     The Common Dodder is native to Canada (Frankton and Mulligan, 1970; and 
     
     Roland and Smith, 1969). 
     
    
   
   
    
     References 
     
     Erskine, A.J., 1960. The Plants of Prince Edward Island, Publ. 1088, 
     
     Canada Department of Agriculture, 270 pp. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Frankton, and A. Mulligan, 1970.‘ Weeds of Canada, Canada Department of 
     
     Agriculture, 217 pp. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Hurst, Blyth Sr., 1933. Flowering Plants and Ferns of Prince Edward 
     
     Island, Reprinted from Transactions of the Royal Canadian In- 
     
     stitute. Vol. XIX (2): 251-271. University of Toronto Press. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Peterson, T. and McKenny, 1968. A Field Guide to Wildflowers of 
     
     Northeastern and North-centra1.North America. Houghton Mifflin 
     
     Co., Boston, 420 pp. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Roland, A.E. and E.C. Smith, 1969. The Flora of Nova Scotia, The 
     
     Nova Scotia Museum, Halifax, 746 pp. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Gail Curry 
     
     South Melville 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     SANDING IN BRANT? 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     No Brant have been hunted on P.E.I. in Spring since the Migratory Bird 
     
     Convention Act was declared law August 16, 1916. Several old gunners, 
     
     recalling spring shoots, told me that before the Brant migrated north in 
     
    
   
   
    
     continued . . .