Dodder Laurel
Cassytha Melantha

GATHERING:
I gather from various gardens with trees where it is needing to be being cleared. Living green dodder is best. Dead dodder is often found alongside the green but will be of no use for weaving. 
To collect dodder, strands which can be reached from the ground can be pulled from the host trees and then roughly coiled, making it easier to transport and store.
STORAGE: 
Coil the dodder as you collect it into manageable amounts and hang in a dry, dark place.
TO USE:
​Dodder can be used while still green. It takes about a week before it dries and becomes hard and brittle. Otherwise, coils of stored dodder can be soaked in a tub of water for 24hours.
Coils of dried dodder can be stored and reconstituted in a tub of water for approx. 24 hours. Keep under a damp towel whilst working on your piece.

DESCRIPTION:
Dodder laurel is a parasitic vine found hanging from Eucalypts and commonly known as Australian mistletoe. Sometimes it becomes so dense and tangled it can kill its host tree. However, it is a native vine and in the wider scheme of things has its ecological benefits, as mentioned in this article by Angair

DODDER LAUREL IS WONDERFUL TO USE FOR RANDOM WEAVING