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Common Horseweed

Erigeron canadensis

Found in old fields, disturbed areas, roadsides, gardens. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

Very weedy

Native to Florida. Not suggested for planting. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 88%

Height
6 inches–7 feet
Spread
6 inches–2 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Good drainage

Very weedy. Can be difficult to manage in a garden. Hidden from planting suggestions by default; wildlife value remains unchanged. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
Summer and fall

Recorded in 67 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

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

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

25CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Erigeron

  • Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
  • Bucculatrix angustataNarrow Bucculatrix
  • Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
  • Chlosyne nycteisSilvery Checkerspot
  • Ctenoplusia oxygrammaSharp-Stigma Looper Moth
  • Cucullia alfarataCamphorweed Cucullia, Halloween Paint, Camphorweed Cucullia
  • Eugnosta erigeronanaFleabane Cochylid
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Herpetogramma thestealisZigzag Herpetogramma, Subtle-Feathered Grass Moth
Show all 25
  • Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
  • Leuconycta diphteroidesGreen Leuconycta
  • Lioptilodes albistriolatusMousy Plume Moth
  • Phyciodes tharosPearl Crescent, Crescentspot
  • Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
  • Schinia arcigeraArcigera Flower Moth
  • Schinia lynxLynx Flower Moth
  • Schinia obscurataObscure Schinia Moth, Erigeron Flower Moth
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
  • Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Hellinsia chlorias
  • Xenotemna pallorana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
74BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Erigeron

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 · Erigeron

  • Andrena asteris
  • Andrena fulvipennis
  • Andrena nubecula
  • Andrena simplex
  • Colletes americanus
  • Colletes simulans
  • Melissodes illatus
  • Perdita boltoniae
  • Protandrena aestivalis
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
4BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Dendragapus obscurusDusky Grouse
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Tympanuchus pallidicinctusLesser Prairie-Chicken
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

Flies 4
  • Eristalis tenax
  • Musca domestica
  • Pollenia rudis
  • Senotainia trilineata

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other wasps 5
  • Anacrabro ocellatus
  • Ancistrocerus tigris
  • Cerceris clypeata
  • Eucerceris zonatus
  • Polistes variatus

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Cream or white
Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Conyza canadensis; Horseweed

Conservation status

Florida rankS5
Global rankG5
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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