Common Ragweed

Ambrosia artemisiifolia

Found in roadsides, gardens, disturbed soils, thin soils on rock outcrops. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

Strong

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

Profile 94%

Height: 1–6 feet
Spread: 3–4 feet
Light: Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry to somewhat dry

Space about 3.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 8 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Ambrosia artemisiifolia — foliage photograph — no rights reserved · CC0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Annual
Bloom: Summer and fall

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 66 Florida 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

Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trees and rocks on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

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

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 79 animals.

Common Nighthawk
Chordeiles minor
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Cooper's Hawk
Accipiter cooperii
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Double-crested Cormorant
Phalacrocorax auritus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Downy Woodpecker
Picoides pubescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Bluebird
Sialia sialis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Kingbird
Tyrannus tyrannus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Phoebe
Sayornis phoebe
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Screech-owl
Megascops asio
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Towhee
Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Wood-pewee
Contopus virens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eurasian Collared-dove
Streptopelia decaocto
Birds. 1 shared habitat
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Fish Crow
Corvus ossifragus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Fox Sparrow
Passerella iliaca
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Regulus satrapa
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Great Crested Flycatcher
Myiarchus crinitus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Hairy Woodpecker
Picoides villosus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Hermit Thrush
Catharus guttatus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Hooded Merganser
Lophodytes cucullatus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Magnificent Frigatebird
Fregata magnificens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Bobwhite
Colinus virginianus
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

56CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Ambrosia

Achyra rantalisGarden Webworm Moth
Adaina ambrosiaeAmbrosia Plume Moth, Ragweed Plume Moth
Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
Astrotischeria ambrosiaeellax
Azenia obtusaObtuse Yellow
Caenurgina erechteaClover Looper Moth, Common Grass Moth, Forage Looper
Carmenta texanaTexana Clearwing Moth
Chionodes mediofuscellaBlack-Smudged Chionodes
Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
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
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
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 guttataSpotted Spragueia
Spragueia jaguaralisCounfounding Spragueia
Spragueia leoCommon Spragueia
Spragueia onagrusBlack-Dotted Spragueia
Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
Tricholita signataSignate Quaker, Signate Groundcat
Dejongia californicus
Epiblema minutana
Gnorimoschema saphirinella
Omiodes simialis
Paralobesia sambuci
Paralobesia vernoniana

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

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

31BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

Acanthis flammeaCommon Redpoll
Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
Ammodramus savannarumGrasshopper Sparrow
Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
Anthus spragueiiSprague's Pipit
Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
Calcarius pictusSmith's Longspur
Cardinalis cardinalisNorthern Cardinal
Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove

Show all 31

Corvus brachyrhynchosAmerican Crow
Dolichonyx oryzivorusBobolink
Eremophila alpestrisHorned Lark
Haemorhous mexicanusHouse Finch
Junco hyemalisDark-eyed Junco
Loxia curvirostraRed Crossbill
Loxia leucopteraWhite-winged Crossbill
Melospiza lincolniiLincoln's Sparrow
Melospiza melodiaSong Sparrow
Molothrus aterBrown-headed Cowbird
Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca
Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
Quiscalus quisculaCommon Grackle
Rhynchophanes mccowniiMcCown's Longspur
Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
Sturnus vulgarisEuropean Starling
Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
Tympanuchus phasianellusSharp-tailed Grouse
Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
Zonotrichia querulaHarris's Sparrow

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

1AntsRecorded seed interactions

Solenopsis invicta

Solenopsis invicta: Seed predation.

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Asteraceae
Flower color: Brown/copper, yellow or green

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

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “Summer and fall” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition differs)
Flower color · “Brown/copper, yellow or green” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “1–6 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Minnesota Wildflowers differs)
Life cycle · “Annual” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Good drainage; Occasionally dry; Very dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; NC Extension Plant Toolbox differs)
Spread · “3–4 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Florida rank	S5
Global rank	G5
FL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Common Ragweed

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Sources

More Ambrosia