It looks like those flowers have 5 petals to me which would make them Cuscuta (Dodder.) Cassytha have 3 petals and 3 sepals.
http://treasurecoastnatives.wo...
The plants really are weird looking and bring to mind the old spaghetti-tree hoax:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
I wonder if the host shrub could be some sort of Duranta. I've read that it's "the boxwood of the topics." Something like Duranta repens 'Sheena's Gold' or similar, perhaps?
Thanks for the tip, by the way!
