Common Water-primrose

Ludwigia hexapetala

Also listed as Ludwigia grandiflora subsp. hexapetala

Found in ponds, lakes, sluggish waters of ditches or streams. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

—

Not native

Not native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 65%

Light: Full sun
Soil moisture: Moist to standing water

Ludwigia hexapetala — flower photograph — (c) Amelia Tauber, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Bloom: May to September

JFMAMJJASOND

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Leaves

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 18 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement.

Regional / representative. Shown: Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Georgia; representative pond ecosystem, a neighboring state.Georgia pond and emergent wetland, Robert 'Bob' Hynes, 1997. Public domain. Source record.

Habitats

Ponds, lakes and their shores; roadsides, fields and disturbed ground; streams, rivers and their banks.

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there. All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

8CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Ludwigia

Alypia wittfeldiiWittfeld's Forester Moth
Elophila gyralisWaterlily Borer Moth
Eudryas unioPearly Wood-Nymph
Eumorpha fasciatusBanded Sphinx
Junonia coeniaCommon Buckeye
Langessa nomophilalisBlack Langessa
Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
Parapoynx seminealisFloating-Heart Waterlilly Moth, Waterlily Casebearer

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

4BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Ludwigia

Aix sponsaWood Duck
Fulica americanaAmerican Coot
Gallinula galeataCommon Gallinule
Porzana carolinaSora

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Onagraceae
Flower color: Yellow

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “May to September” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Yellow” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
primary_flower_color · “yellow” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Moist; Water; Wet (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia

Also known as

Common Water primrose; Ludwigia grandiflora ssp. hexapetala; Ludwigia grandiflora subsp. hexapetala

Conservation status

Alabama rank	Not available
Global rank	[GNR]
AL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden