Most germination will occur within the first few years after seed development. Phenology Emergence and Development Seeds usually emerge from shallow soil depths. The entire seedling looks like a yellow thread with no stem-root differences. Dodder must attach to a host within a few days or the seedling will die. In Colorado, dodder typically attaches to alfalfa and various clovers.
Seedlings emerge as an arch and the plant tip extends and straightens upward after emerging.
A slow counter-clockwise rotation occurs after extension. The stem entwines around any elongated object within 1 to 3 inches of the seedling. After initial twining, dodder will introduce haustoria into the host vascular system. If this attachment is successful, the stem portion in contact with the soil withers. The dodder seedling then draws sustenance from the host plant.