Seneca Snakeroot
Polygala senega
Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 59%
- Height
- 10–18 inches
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Perennial
Not yet recorded · Spread · Light · Soil · Leaves · Bloom
Bloom: NC species account not read yet.
Spread, light, soil and leaves: no source found yet.
This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.
Recorded in 4 Alabama counties.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 93 animals.
- Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus
- Evening GrosbeakCoccothraustes vespertinus
- Field SparrowSpizella pusilla
- Fish CrowCorvus ossifragus
- Golden-winged WarblerVermivora chrysoptera
- Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitus
- Horned LarkEremophila alpestris
- Indigo BuntingPasserina cyanea
- Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus
- Loggerhead ShrikeLanius ludovicianus
- Long-eared OwlAsio otus
- Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
- Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicus
- Orange-crowned WarblerVermivora celata
- OvenbirdSeiurus aurocapilla
- Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatus
- Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianus
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- White-eyed VireoVireo griseus
- Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelina
- Yellow-throated WarblerDendroica dominica
Who uses this plant?
1CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL
Genus host records with ranges including AL · Polygala
- Phytometra rhodarialisPink-Bordered Yellow
10BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Polygala
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Polygala
- Ammospiza leconteiiLeConte's Sparrow
- Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
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
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Plant details
- Family
- Polygalaceae
- Flower color
- White or green
What its natural habitat tells you
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Flower color · “White or green” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Height · “10–18 inches” · Minnesota Wildflowers
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · Minnesota Wildflowers
Also known as
Polygala senega
Conservation status
| Alabama rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G4G5 |
| AL status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Sources
- Alabama Plant Atlas
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025)
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications