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Hairy Seedbox

Ludwigia pilosa

Found in swamps, ditches, blackwater streams, other wet places. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

65
Strong

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

Profile 94%

Height
Up to about 4 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Moist to wet
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
June to October

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 43 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 3

Swamps

Loblolly bay in a coastal swamp
Regional / representative. Shown: Southern coastal swamps, Florida to Virginia; state not identified, a neighboring state.Loblolly bay in a coastal swamp, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

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

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

9CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Ludwigia

  • Alypia wittfeldiiWittfeld's Forester Moth
  • Desmia ploralisMournful Desmia Moth
  • Elophila gyralisWaterlily Borer Moth
  • Eudryas unioPearly Wood-Nymph
  • Eumorpha fasciatusBanded Sphinx
  • Junonia coeniaCommon Buckeye
  • Langessa nomophilalisBlack Langessa
  • Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
  • Parapoynx seminealisFloating-Heart Waterlilly Moth, Waterlily Casebearer
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
32BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Ludwigia

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
4BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

  • Aix sponsaWood Duck
  • Fulica americanaAmerican Coot
  • Gallinula galeataCommon Gallinule
  • Porzana carolinaSora
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
Onagraceae
Flower color
Yellow or green

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

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “June to October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “Yellow or green” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Height · “Up to about 4 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Soil · “Moist; Wet (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia

Conservation status

Florida rankS4S5
Global rankG5
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Sources