Lanceleaf Ragweed
Ambrosia bidentata
In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in barrens, prairies, mafic and calcareous woodlands. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you
Native to Arkansas. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 94%
- Height
- Up to about 3 feet
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil moisture
- Dry to moist
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Annual
- Bloom
- July to November
Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves
Recorded in 46 Arkansas counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone
Open, thin-soil openings and rock on limestone, dolomite or other lime-rich rock, including cedar glades.
Glades, barrens and outcrops on mafic or serpentine rock
Open, thin-soil openings, outcrops and cliffs on dark, magnesium- or iron-rich rock such as serpentine, diabase or gabbro.
Open, grass-dominated places kept open by fire, grazing or thin soil, from tallgrass prairie to Piedmont prairies.
Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Arkansas. Shared habitat, not food. 36 animals.
Widespread birds also seen here (50)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
- American Goldfinch
- American Kestrel
- American Robin
- Belted Kingfisher
- Blue Grosbeak
- Blue Jay
- Brown Creeper
- Brown Thrasher
- Cedar Waxwing
- Chimney Swift
- Chipping Sparrow
- Cliff Swallow
- Common Nighthawk
- Common Yellowthroat
- Cooper's Hawk
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Downy Woodpecker
- Eastern Bluebird
- Eastern Kingbird
- Eastern Screech-owl
- Eurasian Collared-dove
- European Starling
- Golden-crowned Kinglet
- Great Horned Owl
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Harris's Sparrow
- Hooded Merganser
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Flicker
- Northern Mockingbird
- Orchard Oriole
- Osprey
- Pileated Woodpecker
- Pine Siskin
- Purple Finch
- Red-headed Woodpecker
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Tufted Titmouse
- Turkey Vulture
- White-crowned Sparrow
- Wild Turkey
- Wood Thrush
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Yellow-breasted Chat
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
Who uses this plant?
56CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR
Genus host records with ranges including AR · Ambrosia
- Achyra rantalisGarden Webworm Moth
- Adaina ambrosiaeAmbrosia Plume Moth, Ragweed Plume Moth
- Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
- Azenia obtusaObtuse Yellow
- Caenurgina erechteaClover Looper Moth, Common Grass Moth, Forage Looper
- Carmenta texanaTexana Clearwing Moth
- Chionodes mediofuscellaBlack-Smudged Chionodes
- Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
- Chlosyne gorgoneGorgone Checkerspot
- Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
Show all 56
- Condica sutorThe Cobbler, Cobbler Groundling
- Dichomeris juncidellaOrange-Dotted Dichomeris
- Dichomeris serrativittellaToothed Dichomeris
- Ephestiodes infimellaReddish Ephestiodes
- Epiblema otiosanaBidens Borer Moth
- Epiblema strenuanaRagweed Borer
- Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
- Exelastis pumilioDwarf Plume Moth
- Feltia subgothicaSubgothic Dart
- Helcystogramma chambersellaChambers' Twirler
- Hellinsia inquinatusBlack-Marked Plume Moth
- Herpetogramma bipunctalisSouthern Beet Webworm, Two-Spotted Herpetogramma
- Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
- Lascoria ambigualisAmbiguous Moth, Ambiguous Litter Moth
- Leptostales pannariaPannaria Wave
- Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
- Ogdoconta cinereolaCommon Pinkband Groundling
- Ostrinia obumbratalisSmartweed Borer
- Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
- Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
- Pelochrista cataclystianaSolidaga Eucosma, Solidaga Pelochrista
- Pholisora catullusCommon Sootywing
- Plagiomimicus pityochromusBlack-Barred Brown, Ragweed Seedcropper
- Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
- Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
- Polygonia interrogationisQuestion Mark
- Ponometia candefactaOlive-Shaded Bird-Dropping Moth
- Ponometia erastrioidesSmall Bird-Dropping Moth
- Rachiplusia ouGray Looper
- Schinia gracilentaIva Flower Moth, Slender Flower Moth
- Schinia rivulosaRagweed Flower Moth
- Schinia thoreauiThoreau's Flower Moth
- Scopula inductataSoft-Lined Wave
- Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
- Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
- Spragueia leoCommon Spragueia
- Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
- Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
- Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
- Tricholita signataSignate Quaker, Signate Groundcat
- Dichomeris washingtoniella
- Gnorimoschema saphirinella
- Hahncappsia marculenta
- Landryia matutella
- Paralobesia sambuci
- Paralobesia vernoniana
2BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Ambrosia
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
24BirdsRecorded eating Ambrosia in Arkansas
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Arkansas, most records first.
- Common Ground-dove8 diet records
- Brown-headed Cowbird5 diet records
- Northern Bobwhite5 diet records
- Red-winged Blackbird4 diet records
- Mourning Dove4 diet records
- American Pipit2 diet records
- American RobinFruit. 2 diet records
- Bobolink2 diet records
- Horned LarkSeeds. 2 diet records
- American Crow1 diet record
Show all 24
- Common Grackle1 diet record
- Dark-eyed JuncoSeeds. 1 diet record
- Eastern BluebirdFruit. 1 diet record
- European Starling1 diet record
- Grasshopper SparrowSeeds. 1 diet record
- Harris's SparrowSeeds. 1 diet record
- House FinchSeeds. 1 diet record
- Lapland Longspur1 diet record
- Lincoln's SparrowSeeds. 1 diet record
- Northern CardinalSeeds. 1 diet record
- Red Crossbill1 diet record
- Smith's Longspur1 diet record
- Song SparrowSeeds. 1 diet record
- Sprague's Pipit1 diet record
Direct food only. 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
Birds that eat Ambrosia 24
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.
- Common Ground-doveColumbina passerina
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Northern BobwhiteColinus virginianus
- Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- American PipitAnthus rubescens
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorus
- Horned LarkEremophila alpestris
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quiscula
- Dark-eyed JuncoJunco hyemalis
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- European StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Grasshopper SparrowAmmodramus savannarum
- Harris's SparrowZonotrichia querula
- House FinchCarpodacus mexicanus
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolnii
- Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis
- Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostra
- Smith's LongspurCalcarius pictus
- Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
- Sprague's PipitAnthus spragueii
Plant details
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Flower color
- Green
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “July to November” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “Green” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Height · “Up to about 3 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Life cycle · “Annual” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Light · “Full sun (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- primary_flower_color · “green” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Also known as
Lance Leaf Ragweed
Conservation status
| Arkansas rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| AR 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
- Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas (2013)
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025)
- Arkansas occurrence source
- 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