diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-ec2/lib/vpc.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-ec2/lib/vpc.ts
index 32cabbf516343..4d070293caff2 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-ec2/lib/vpc.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-ec2/lib/vpc.ts
@@ -1302,23 +1302,25 @@ function describeSelection(placement: SubnetSelection): string {
 class CompositeDependable implements IDependable {
   private readonly dependables = new Array<IDependable>();
 
+  constructor() {
+    const self = this;
+    cdk.DependableTrait.implement(this, {
+      get dependencyRoots() {
+        const ret = [];
+        for (const dep of self.dependables) {
+          ret.push(...cdk.DependableTrait.get(dep).dependencyRoots);
+        }
+        return ret;
+      }
+    });
+  }
+
   /**
    * Add a construct to the dependency roots
    */
   public add(dep: IDependable) {
     this.dependables.push(dep);
   }
-
-  /**
-   * Retrieve the current set of dependency roots
-   */
-  public get dependencyRoots(): IConstruct[] {
-    const ret = [];
-    for (const dep of this.dependables) {
-      ret.push(...dep.dependencyRoots);
-    }
-    return ret;
-  }
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/lib/function-base.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/lib/function-base.ts
index c60a2fccb97e3..fdd779bd310f6 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/lib/function-base.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/lib/function-base.ts
@@ -238,7 +238,6 @@ export abstract class FunctionBase extends Resource implements IFunction  {
             action: 'lambda:InvokeFunction',
           });
         },
-        dependencyRoots: [],
         node: this.node,
       },
     });
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/lib/construct.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/lib/construct.ts
index 900df346bdb09..8bbfc2f4ec0de 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/lib/construct.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/lib/construct.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import cxapi = require('@aws-cdk/cx-api');
 import { IAspect } from './aspect';
 import { CLOUDFORMATION_TOKEN_RESOLVER, CloudFormationLang } from './cloudformation-lang';
-import { IDependable } from './dependency';
+import { DependableTrait, IDependable } from './dependency';
 import { resolve } from './resolve';
 import { createStackTrace } from './stack-trace';
 import { Token } from './token';
@@ -537,7 +537,7 @@ export class ConstructNode {
 
     for (const source of this.findAll()) {
       for (const dependable of source.node.dependencies) {
-        for (const target of dependable.dependencyRoots) {
+        for (const target of DependableTrait.get(dependable).dependencyRoots) {
           let foundTargets = found.get(source);
           if (!foundTargets) { found.set(source, foundTargets = new Set()); }
 
@@ -594,14 +594,6 @@ export class Construct implements IConstruct {
    */
   public readonly node: ConstructNode;
 
-  /**
-   * The set of constructs that form the root of this dependable
-   *
-   * All resources under all returned constructs are included in the ordering
-   * dependency.
-   */
-  public readonly dependencyRoots: IConstruct[] = [this];
-
   /**
    * Creates a new construct node.
    *
@@ -612,6 +604,12 @@ export class Construct implements IConstruct {
    */
   constructor(scope: Construct, id: string) {
     this.node = new ConstructNode(this, scope, id);
+
+    // Implement IDependable privately
+    const self = this;
+    DependableTrait.implement(this, {
+      get dependencyRoots() { return [self]; },
+    });
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/lib/dependency.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/lib/dependency.ts
index 30a2137ae4590..a62ce86f49285 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/lib/dependency.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/lib/dependency.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 import { IConstruct } from "./construct";
 
 /**
- * A set of constructs that can be depended upon
+ * Trait marker for classes that can be depended upon
+ *
+ * The presence of this interface indicates that an object has
+ * an `IDependableTrait` implementation.
  *
  * This interface can be used to take an (ordering) dependency on a set of
  * constructs. An ordering dependency implies that the resources represented by
@@ -9,13 +12,7 @@ import { IConstruct } from "./construct";
  * deployed.
  */
 export interface IDependable {
-  /**
-   * The set of constructs that form the root of this dependable
-   *
-   * All resources under all returned constructs are included in the ordering
-   * dependency.
-   */
-  readonly dependencyRoots: IConstruct[];
+  // Empty, this interface is a trait marker
 }
 
 /**
@@ -27,17 +24,71 @@ export interface IDependable {
 export class ConcreteDependable implements IDependable {
   private readonly _dependencyRoots = new Array<IConstruct>();
 
+  constructor() {
+    const self = this;
+    DependableTrait.implement(this, {
+      get dependencyRoots() { return self._dependencyRoots; },
+    });
+  }
+
   /**
    * Add a construct to the dependency roots
    */
   public add(construct: IConstruct) {
     this._dependencyRoots.push(construct);
   }
+}
 
+/**
+ * Trait for IDependable
+ *
+ * Traits are interfaces that are privately implemented by objects. Instead of
+ * showing up in the public interface of a class, they need to be queried
+ * explicitly. This is used to implement certain framework features that are
+ * not intended to be used by Construct consumers, and so should be hidden
+ * from accidental use.
+ *
+ * @example
+ *
+ * // Usage
+ * const roots = DependableTrait.get(construct).dependencyRoots;
+ *
+ * // Definition
+ * DependableTrait.implement(construct, {
+ *   get dependencyRoots() { return []; }
+ * });
+ */
+export abstract class DependableTrait {
   /**
-   * Retrieve the current set of dependency roots
+   * Register `instance` to have the given DependableTrait
+   *
+   * Should be called in the class constructor.
    */
-  public get dependencyRoots(): IConstruct[] {
-    return this._dependencyRoots;
+  public static implement(instance: IDependable, trait: DependableTrait) {
+    // I would also like to reference classes (to cut down on the list of objects
+    // we need to manage), but we can't do that either since jsii doesn't have the
+    // concept of a class reference.
+    DependableTrait.traitMap.set(instance, trait);
   }
+
+  /**
+   * Return the matching DependableTrait for the given class instance.
+   */
+  public static get(instance: IDependable): DependableTrait {
+    const ret = DependableTrait.traitMap.get(instance);
+    if (!ret) {
+      throw new Error(`${instance} does not implement DependableTrait`);
+    }
+    return ret;
+  }
+
+  private static traitMap = new WeakMap<IDependable, DependableTrait>();
+
+  /**
+   * The set of constructs that form the root of this dependable
+   *
+   * All resources under all returned constructs are included in the ordering
+   * dependency.
+   */
+  public abstract readonly dependencyRoots: IConstruct[];
 }
\ No newline at end of file