Indian-hemp
Apocynum cannabinum
In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in forests, woodlands, roadsides, pastures. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you
58
Strong
Native to Arkansas. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 100%
- Height
- 2–5 feet
- Spread
- 1.5–2.5 feet
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Somewhat dry to moist
Space about 2 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 25 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count
Will it fit your yard?
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Perennial
- Leaves
- Deciduous
- Bloom
- May to July
- Fruiting season
- September to October
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Recorded in 57 Arkansas counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
1 of 2
Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.
Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground
Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Arkansas. Shared habitat, not food. 127 animals.
- Acadian FlycatcherEmpidonax virescens
- Alder FlycatcherEmpidonax alnorum
- American Black DuckAnas rubripes
- American GoldfinchCarduelis tristis
- American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- Bell's VireoVireo bellii
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- Black-and-White WarblerMniotilta varia
- Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticorax
- Blue GrosbeakPasserina caerulea
- Blue JayCyanocitta cristata
- Blue-gray GnatcatcherPolioptila caerulea
- Brown CreeperCerthia americana
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Carolina WrenThryothorus ludovicianus
- Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
- Chimney SwiftChaetura pelagica
- Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Common NighthawkChordeiles minor
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- Cooper's HawkAccipiter cooperii
- Double-crested CormorantPhalacrocorax auritus
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
13CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR
Genus host records with ranges including AR · Apocynum
- Acronicta impressaImpressive Dagger, Printed Dagger
- Acronicta noctivagaNight-Wandering Dagger, Burglar Dagger
- Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
- Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
- Cycnia oregonensisOregon Cycnia
- Cycnia teneraDelicate Cycnia, Dogbane Tiger Moth
- Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar Moth
- Ostrinia penitalisAmerican Lotus Borer, Lily Moth
- Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
- Pyrrhia exprimensPurple-Lined Sallow, Purple-Lined Sun Moth
Show all 13
- Saucrobotys futilalisDogbane Saucrobotys
- Spargaloma sexpunctataSix-Spotted Gray
- Trichordestra legitimaStriped Garden Caterpillar Moth
18BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Apocynum
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
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claimBeetles 1
- Trichius piger
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
Flies 10
- Archytas analis
- Bombylius atriceps
- Cistogaster occidua
- Limnophora narona
- Phormia regina
- Sciara atrata
- Spallanzania hesperidarum
- Sphaerophoria cylindrica
- Trichophora ruficauda
- Tropidia quadrata
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
Adult butterflies / moths 2
- Argynnis cybele
- Thecla calanus
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
Other wasps 6
- Astatus unicolor
- Bicyrtes ventralis
- Isodontia apicalis
- Priononyx atrata
- Priononyx thomae
- Sphex vulgaris
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
Other insects 2
- Lygaeus turcicus
- Lygus pratensis
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
No records yet · Ants
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 3a–11b
- Flower color
- Green, pink or white
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Growth habit
- Single stem
- Foliage color
- Green
- Fruit begins
- September
- Fruit ends
- October
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “May to July” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “Green, pink or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
- Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit begins · “September” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Fruit ends · “October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Growth habit · “Single stem” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Hardiness · “Zones 3a–11b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “2–5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Minnesota Wildflowers, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs)
- Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs)
- Spread · “1.5–2.5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Hemp Dogbane; Indian Hemp
Conservation status
| Arkansas rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| AR status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Choose a county to begin.
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