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Slender Ironweed

Vernonia angustifolia

75
Strong

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height
Up to about 3 feet 4 inches
Light
Deep shade, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Dry to average
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves · Bloom

Bloom: NC species account not read yet.

Spread 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 37 Alabama counties.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

24CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Vernonia

  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
  • Apantesis partheniceParthenice Tiger Moth
  • Archips rileyanaSouthern Ugly-Nest Caterpillar Moth
  • Carmenta bassiformisEupatorium Borer Moth, Ironweed Clearwing Moth
  • Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
  • Dichomeris setosellaHairy Dichomeris
  • Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Hellinsia paleaceusOne-Spotted Plume Moth
  • Papaipema baptisiaeWild Indigo Borer, Indigo Stem Borer
Show all 24
  • Papaipema cerussataIronweed Borer Moth
  • Perigea xanthioidesRed Groundling
  • Phlogophora irisOlive Angle Shades
  • Platynota idaeusalisTufted Apple-Bud Moth
  • Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
  • Polygrammodes flavidalisIronweed Root Moth, Vernonia Root-Borer
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
  • Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
  • Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Vanessa virginiensisAmerican Lady, American Painted Lady
  • Paralobesia sambuci
  • Paralobesia vernoniana
  • Thyraylia bunteana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
46BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Vernonia

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
9Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Vernonia

  • Andrena placata
  • Melissodes denticulatus
  • Melissodes druriellus
  • Melissodes microstictus
  • Melissodes niveus
  • Melissodes subillatus
  • Melissodes trinodis
  • Melissodes vernoniae
  • Perdita octomaculata
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
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae
Hardiness
Zones 7a–9b
Flower color
Purple

What its natural habitat tells you

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

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankG5
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

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How to check your spot

Sources