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Red-seeded Dandelion

Taraxacum erythrospermum

Found in roadsides, lawns, pastures, other disturbed sites. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

—
Not native

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

Profile 65%

Height
2–12 inches
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to moist

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
January to December

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 21 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

63CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Taraxacum

  • Abagrotis magnicupidaOne-Dotted Dart
  • Agnorisma badinodisPale-Banded Dart
  • Agrotis vetustaOld Man Dart
  • Anagrapha falciferaCelery Looper Moth
  • Anicla illapsaSnowy Dart
  • Apantesis annaAnna Tiger Moth
  • Apantesis argeArge Tiger Moth
  • Apantesis naisNais Tiger Moth
  • Apantesis partheniceParthenice Tiger Moth
  • Apantesis phalerataHarnessed Moth
Show all 63
  • Apantesis vittataBanded Tiger Moth
  • Autographa precationisCommon Looper Moth
  • Cerastis tenebriferaReddish Speckled Dart
  • Choephora fungorumBent-Line Dart
  • Chytolita morbidalisMorbid Owlet
  • Elaphria chalcedoniaChalcedony Midget
  • Elaphria grataGrateful Midget
  • Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Eusarca confusariaConfused Eusarca
  • Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
  • Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
  • Homorthodes furfurataNorthern Scurfy Quaker
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hypercompe scriboniaGiant Leopard Moth, Great Leopard Moth
  • Idaea furciferataNotch-Winged Wave
  • Idaea obfusariaRippled Wave
  • Lacinipolia erectaErect Arches
  • Lacinipolia explicataExplicit Groundcat, Explicit Arches
  • Lacinipolia implicataImplicit Arches
  • Lacinipolia laudabilisLaudable Arches, Laudable Mamestra
  • Lacinipolia meditataThe Thinker
  • Lacinipolia renigeraBristly Ground Cat, Bristly Cutworm Moth, Kidney Spotted "Mamestra"
  • Leuconycta lepidulaMarble-Green Jaspidia, Marble-Green Leuconycta
  • Manduca quinquemaculatusFive-Spotted Hawkmoth, Tomato Hornworm
  • Megalographa bilobaBilobed Looper Moth
  • Nephelodes miniansBronzed Cutworm
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthodes cynicaCynical Quaker, Cynical Groundcat
  • Orthodes detractaDisparaged Arches, Disparaged Groundcat
  • Orthodes majusculaRustic Quaker, Rustic Groundcat
  • Pagara simplexMouse-Colored Lichen Moth
  • Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
  • Phlogophora irisOlive Angle Shades
  • Protolampra brunneicollisBrown-Collared Dart
  • Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
  • Scopula aemulataRival Wave
  • Scopula limboundataLarge Lace-Border
  • Spilosoma congruaAgreeable Tiger Moth
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
  • Synchlora xysterariaSinged Emerald
  • Tricholita signataSignate Quaker, Signate Groundcat
  • Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
  • Trichopolia oviducaRuddy Quaker
  • Virbia aurantiacaOrange Virbia, Orange Holomelina
  • Virbia ferruginosaRusty Holomelina, Rusty Virbia
  • Virbia laetaJoyful Virbia, Joyful Holomelina
  • Virbia opellaTawny Virbia, Tawny Holomelina
  • Virbia rubicundariaRuddy Virbia, Ruddy Holomelina
  • Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
  • Virbia fergusoni
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
5Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Taraxacum

  • Andrena chromotricha
  • Andrena krigiana
  • Colletes rufocinctus
  • Protandrena aestivalis
  • Protandrena piercei
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
12BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

  • Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
  • Branta canadensisCanada Goose
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Centrocercus urophasianusGreater Sage-Grouse
  • Dendragapus obscurusDusky Grouse
  • Falcipennis canadensisSpruce Grouse
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Perdix perdixGray Partridge
  • Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
Show all 12
  • Tympanuchus phasianellusSharp-tailed Grouse
  • Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird
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
Asteraceae

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Red Seed Dandelion; Red seeded Dandelion; Taraxacum laevigatum

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNA
Global rankGNR
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources