Cassytha filiformis (Love-vine)

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Cassytha filiformis L.

Love-vine, lovevine, laurel dodder, woe vine

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Magnoliidae	Includes magnolias, nutmeg, bay laurel, cinnamon, avocado, black pepper, and many others
Order	Laurales	Trees and shrubs, including bay laurels, cinnamon, avocado, sassafras and others
Family	Lauraceae	Laurel family, mostly tropical evergreens
Genus	Cassytha	From kesatha, Aramaic for “a tangled wisp of hair.”
Species	filiformis	Thread-like

About plant names...

The common name “lovevine” comes from an old myth about this vine’s purported aphrodisiac qualities. Love vine is parasitic, wrapping around other plants and drawing nutrients from them. That’s why it isn’t green: no need for chlorophyll when you can rob water and nutrients from surrounding plants and let them do the hard work of photosynthesis for you. (There are many more parasitic species, among them other dodders and mistletoe.)

From Cassytha filiformis, a comprehensive report by Scot C. Nelson of the Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Services in Hawaii:

“Cassytha filiformis is, depending on one’s perspective, a blessing or a bane. It is a

plant treasured by Hawaiians for its traditional use as a light-hearted or ceremonial human ornament and in decorative garlands and lei
valued plant in traditional societies with diverse healing applications and with promise for modern medicine
food plant for humans and animals
vine used in thatched roof construction
potential biological control agent for invasive plants
pestiferous and pathogenic weed that is a threat to agriculture and endangered plants and is capable of transmitting other pathogens between plants.”

Plants: The vines are green to orange, tough and woody, and threadlike. They entwine and encirle other plants in thick shaggy masses.

Leaves: Leaves are sparse, scale-like, and lanceolate. They are ¹/₃₂-¹/₁₆" (1.5-2 mm) long..

Flowers: Flowers are sparse, about ¹/₃₂-¹/₁₆" (1.5-2 mm) in size, and sessile (attached directly to the vines). They are greenish-white, and urn-shaped, with three tepals.

Fruits: ~³/₁₆" (5-6 mm), nearly round, somewhat pearly in appearance.

Medical: Several compounds in this species have potential medical applications, such as ocoteine, a possible inhibitor of certain cancers. Unsubstantiated folk uses include treatment of jellyfish stings, as an aid while delivering babies, and treatment of gonorrhea.

Online References:

Tropical.theferns.info

The University of Hawai‘i’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at Mānoa (PDF)

Cabi.org’s Invasive Species Compendium

4/13/2015 · Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, Everglades National Park, Florida
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm)

Cassytha filiformis description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

4/12/2015 · Rte. 41 (Tamiami), Everglades National Park, Florida
≈ 12 × 8" (31 × 21 cm)

4/12/2015 · Rte. 41 (Tamiami), Everglades National Park, Florida
≈ 6 × 3½" (14 × 9.6 cm)

4/12/2015 · Rte. 41 (Tamiami), Everglades National Park, Florida
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm)

4/12/2015 · Rte. 41 (Tamiami), Everglades National Park, Florida
≈ 10 × 7" (25 × 16 cm)

4/13/2015 · Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, Everglades National Park, Florida
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm)

Range:

About this map...