ABSTRACT
When I worked in Belém, Brazil, I was surprised to find people encouraging Cuscuta on their croton (Codiaeum) hedges in their front yard gardens. When we asked them about the plants, they told us they were cabelos de Jesus (Jesus’s hair). They considered them not only ornamental, but also medicinal. The name seemed to be associated with the Doctrine of Signatures. However, when I looked more closely at the literature, I discovered that an older name was cabellos de Venus (Venus’s hair). As both Venus and Jesus are associated with love, albeit different kinds, both are equally appropriate for the plants.
