States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaFloridaVirginia
Menu

Giant Ragweed

Ambrosia trifida

67
Strong

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

Profile 82%

Height
3–12 feet
Light
Part shade, Shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves · Bloom

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 13 Florida counties.

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

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae
Flower color
Green or brown

What its natural habitat tells you

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Texan Great Rag Weed; Texan Great Ragweed; Texas Giant Rag Weed; Texas Giant Ragweed

Conservation status

Florida rankS4S5
Global rankG5
FL 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.

Choose a county to begin.

How to check your spot

Sources