This parasitic, twining annual herb covers other low vegetation (C,D,E), most often Asteraceae family species such as sunflowers and goldenrod. Identification to species of dodder is difficult and often requires close examination of the shape of the petals, number of petals, habitat, and the type of host plant. Clusters of very small white sessile (stalkless) flowers (A, B,C) bloom in summer from July through September. Leaves are very small and are often described as scale-like.

This plant starts to grow from roots, which wither away when the stems (D) attach to host plants and draw their nourishment from them using structures called haustoria.