Semaphore Thoroughwort

Eupatorium mikanioides

Found in saline and brackish flats, seasonally ponded freshwater wetlands, wet flatwoods, marl prairies. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

Keystone

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

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At a glance

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Light · Soil · Life cycle · Leaves · Bloom

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

Recorded in 32 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

Limestone prairie. Shown: Grand Prairie, Coosa Valley Prairies, Floyd County, Georgia, a neighboring state.Grand Prairie, Coosa Valley Prairies, Floyd County, Alan M. Cressler / U.S. Geological Survey, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Pine flatwoods

Flat, sandy Coastal Plain pine woodlands, wetter than sandhills and denser than savannas.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 181 animals.

Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Seaside Sparrow
Ammodramus maritimus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Surf Scoter
Melanitta perspicillata
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Tufted Titmouse
Baeolophus bicolor
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Western Kingbird
Tyrannus verticalis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
White Ibis
Eudocimus albus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys
Birds. 1 shared habitat
White-faced Ibis
Plegadis chihi
Birds. 1 shared habitat
White-winged Dove
Zenaida asiatica
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Wilson's Plover
Charadrius wilsonia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Wood Duck
Aix sponsa
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

38CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Eupatorium

Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
Carmenta bassiformisEupatorium Borer Moth, Ironweed Clearwing Moth
Carmenta pyralidiformisBoneset Borer Moth
Carmenta texanaTexana Clearwing Moth
Celastrina neglectaSummer Azure
Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
Chlorostrymon simaethisSilver-Banded Hairstreak
Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
Cisseps fulvicollisYellow-Collared Scape Moth
Condica vecorsDusky Groundling

Show all 38

Dichomeris setosellaHairy Dichomeris
Digrammia continuataCurve-Lined Angle
Dysodia oculatanaEyed Thyris
Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
Eugnosta erigeronanaFleabane Cochylid
Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
Haploa clymeneClymene Moth
Hellinsia unicolorUnmarked Plume Moth
Oedemasia concinnaRed-Humped Caterpillar, Red-Humped Appleworm
Oenobotys vinotinctalisWine-Tinted Oenobotys Moth
Oidaematophorus eupatoriiEupatorium Plume Moth
Orthodes majusculaRustic Quaker, Rustic Groundcat
Ostrinia obumbratalisSmartweed Borer
Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
Papaipema harrisiiHeracleum Stem Borer Moth, Cow Parsnip Borer
Patania silicalisHerbivorous Patania, Herbivorous Pleuroptya
Perigea xanthioidesRed Groundling
Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
Schinia trifasciaThree-Lined Flower Moth
Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
Tornos scolopacinariaDimorphic Gray
Dichomeris aglaia
Dichrorampha leopardana
Hellinsia habecki
Niasoma metallicana

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

34BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Eupatorium

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

2Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Eupatorium

Colletes simulans
Megachile xylocopoides

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

1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca

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

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

Conservation status

Florida rank	S4S5
Global rank	Not available
FL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source

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Semaphore Thoroughwort

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

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Sources

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