One interesting species, Common Dodder (Cuscuta gronovii) occurs frequently in these floodplain habitats, it kind of looks like that neon orange silly string that comes in a can (have they outlawed that stuff yet?). There are 7 species of Dodder known from Ontario. According to the NHIC plant list C. umbrosa is listed as a historic occurrence and was last collected in 1958 on the Kaministiquia River near Thunder Bay (but may still be present in northwestern Ontario). The 2 species ranked as S1, C. coryli and C. polygonorum were recently documented in Windsor (Ojibway Prairie) and Niagara respectively.
This species is parasitic on a variety of plants and it's actually considered a major agricultural weed in some parts of the world. Once established via a root system it will begin to spread; what's really cool is that it does this through chemosensory clues which guide it to grow toward suitable hosts. Once wrapped around a stem, it will insert haustoria to connect into that plant's vascular system which will then support it. Sounds like a bad horror movie plot!
It is a fascinating plant, that is for sure, and often overlooked. I guess Alfred Hitchcock never knew about it or there might have been a movie about it!
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