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Dangleberry

Gaylussacia frondosa

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in moist, acidic woodlands, especially in sandhill-pocosin and savanna-pocosin ecotones, also in dry chestnut oak forests in the lower Piedmont. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

77
Strong

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

Profile 100%

Height
2–4 feet
Spread
2–4 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 3 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 11 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
March to May
Fruiting season
June to August

Recorded in 50 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

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

Forests and woodlands

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

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 104 animals.

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

30CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Gaylussacia

  • Acleris curvalanaBlueberry Leaftier Moth
  • Acrobasis vacciniiCranberry Fruitworm
  • Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Antaeotricha leucillanaWell-Marked Leaf Tier, Pale Gray Bird-Dropping Moth
  • Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
  • Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
  • Callophrys henriciHenry's Elfin
  • Cameraria hamadryadellaSolitary Oak Leafminer Moth
  • Choristoneura obsoletanaObsolete Leafroller
  • Clepsis peritanaGarden Tortrix
Show all 30
  • Cyclophora myrtariaWaxmyrtle Wave
  • Darapsa choerilusAzalea Sphinx
  • Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Limenitis archippusViceroy
  • Lithacodes fasciolaYellow-Shouldered Slug
  • Megalopyge crispataBlack-Waved Flannel Moth, Crinkled Flannel Moth
  • Melanomma auricinctariaGold-Lined Melanomma
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • Olethreutes permundanaRaspberry Leafroller
  • Paonias astylusHuckleberry Sphinx
  • Prionapteryx nebuliferaClouded Veneer Moth
  • Scopula limboundataLarge Lace-Border
  • Sphinx gordiusApple Sphinx
  • Sphinx kalmiaeFawn Sphinx, Laurel Sphinx
  • Strepsicrates smithianaBayberry Leaftier
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Xestia dilucidaDull Reddish Dart, Reddish Heath Dart
  • Zomaria interruptolineanaBroken-Lined Zomaria
  • Tallula atrifascialis
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
4BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Gaylussacia

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
3Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Gaylussacia

  • Andrena bradleyi
  • Andrena carolina
  • Colletes validus
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
11BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

  • Acanthis flammeaCommon Redpoll
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
  • Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
  • Hylocichla mustelinaWood Thrush
  • Lagopus lagopusWillow Ptarmigan
  • Loxia leucopteraWhite-winged Crossbill
  • Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
  • Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
Show all 11
  • Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird
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
Ericaceae
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
Pink or white
Growth rate
Slow
Growth habit
Several stems
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
June
Fruit ends
August

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Gaylussacia frondosa var. frondosa

Conservation status

Florida rankNot available
Global rankG5
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources