Polygonella polygama
Polygonum polygamum var. polygamum
Found in longleaf pine sandhills, other dry sandy habitats. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you
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 46 Florida counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 87 animals.
Widespread birds also seen here (49)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
- American Crow
- American Goldfinch
- American Kestrel
- American Robin
- Bald Eagle
- Bank Swallow
- Belted Kingfisher
- Black Vulture
- Boat-tailed Grackle
- Canada Goose
- Carolina Wren
- Chimney Swift
- Common Grackle
- Common Nighthawk
- Common Yellowthroat
- Cooper's Hawk
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Eastern Kingbird
- Eastern Screech-owl
- Eastern Towhee
- Eurasian Collared-dove
- European Starling
- Fish Crow
- Great Crested Flycatcher
- Great Horned Owl
- Hooded Merganser
- Little Blue Heron
- Long-billed Dowitcher
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Cardinal
- Northern Flicker
- Northern Mockingbird
- Osprey
- Painted Bunting
- Palm Warbler
- Purple Finch
- Red-shouldered Hawk
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Song Sparrow
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Swallow-tailed Kite
- Tree Swallow
- Turkey Vulture
- White-eyed Vireo
- White-throated Sparrow
- Yellow-breasted Chat
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
Who uses this plant?
43CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL
Genus host records with ranges including FL · Polygonum
- Achyra rantalisGarden Webworm Moth
- Acronicta insularisHenry's Marsh Moth, Cattail Caterpillar
- Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
- Anticlea multiferataMany-Lined Carpet
- Apantesis argeArge Tiger Moth
- Apantesis naisNais Tiger Moth
- Archips semiferanusOak Leafroller Moth
- Calothysanis amaturariaCross-Lined Wave
- Chionodes discoocellellaEyeringed Chionodes
- Costaconvexa centrostrigariaBent-Lined Carpet
Show all 43
- Dypterygia rozmaniAmerican Bird's-Wing
- Elophila icciusalisPondside Pyralid, Pondside Crambid
- Elophila obliteralisWaterlily Leafcutter Moth
- Emmelina monodactylaMorning-Glory Plume Moth
- Epiblema otiosanaBidens Borer Moth
- Eusarca confusariaConfused Eusarca
- Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
- Haematopis gratariaChickweed Geometer
- Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
- Homophoberia apicosaBlack Wedge-Spot, Smartweed Groundling
- Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
- Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
- Maliattha synochitisBlack-Dotted Lithacodia, Black-Dotted Glyph, Brass-Dotted Grass Moth
- Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
- Metarranthis duariaRuddy Metarranthis
- Nomophila nearcticaLucerne Moth, American Celery Webworm
- Orthonama obstipataThe Gem
- Ostrinia obumbratalisSmartweed Borer
- Ostrinia penitalisAmerican Lotus Borer, Lily Moth
- Parapoynx obscuralisObscure Pondweed Moth
- Patania silicalisHerbivorous Patania, Herbivorous Pleuroptya
- Prochoerodes lineolaLarge Maple Spanworm Moth
- Pseudeustrotia carneolaPink-Barred Lithacodia, Pink-Barred Pseudeustrotia
- Saucrobotys futilalisDogbane Saucrobotys
- Schinia scissoidesDivided Flower Moth
- Schinia spinosaeSpinose Flower Moth
- Scopula limboundataLarge Lace-Border
- Spilosoma congruaAgreeable Tiger Moth
- Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
- Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
- Xanthotype sospetaCrocus Geometer
- Aroga alleriella
- Schinia subspinosae
23BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Polygonum
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
38BirdsRecorded eating Polygonum in Florida
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Florida, most records first.
- SoraSeeds. 7 diet records
- Common Ground-dove6 diet records
- Red-winged BlackbirdSeeds. 5 diet records
- Lesser ScaupSeeds. 5 diet records
- Chipping SparrowSeeds. 5 diet records
- Ring-necked DuckSeeds. 4 diet records
- Wood DuckSeeds. 4 diet records
- Wild Turkey4 diet records
- Northern Bobwhite3 diet records
- RedheadSeeds. 3 diet records
Show all 38
- Virginia Rail3 diet records
- Brown-headed Cowbird2 diet records
- Dark-eyed JuncoSeeds. 2 diet records
- European Starling2 diet records
- MallardSeeds. 2 diet records
- Song SparrowSeeds. 2 diet records
- Bobolink2 diet records
- House Sparrow2 diet records
- Mourning Dove2 diet records
- American CootSeeds. 1 diet record
- American Pipit1 diet record
- American RobinFruit. 1 diet record
- American WigeonSeeds. 1 diet record
- Black-bellied Whistling-DuckSeeds. 1 diet record
- Brewer's Blackbird1 diet record
- CanvasbackSeeds. 1 diet record
- Common GoldeneyeSeeds. 1 diet record
- Common Grackle1 diet record
- Eastern BluebirdFruit. 1 diet record
- Horned LarkSeeds. 1 diet record
- House FinchSeeds. 1 diet record
- King RailSeeds. 1 diet record
- Northern PintailSeeds. 1 diet record
- Rock Pigeon1 diet record
- Ruddy DuckSeeds. 1 diet record
- White-crowned SparrowSeeds. 1 diet record
- White-eyed Vireo1 diet record
- Yellow RailSeeds. 1 diet record
Direct food only. 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
Birds that eat Polygonum 38
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.
- SoraPorzana carolina
- Common Ground-doveColumbina passerina
- Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Northern BobwhiteColinus virginianus
- RedheadAythya americana
- Virginia RailRallus limicola
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Dark-eyed JuncoJunco hyemalis
- European StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorus
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- American CootFulica americana
- American PipitAnthus rubescens
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- American WigeonAnas americana
- Black-bellied Whistling-DuckDendrocygna autumnalis
- Brewer's BlackbirdEuphagus cyanocephalus
- CanvasbackAythya valisineria
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quiscula
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- Horned LarkEremophila alpestris
- House FinchCarpodacus mexicanus
- King RailRallus elegans
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Rock PigeonColumba livia
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- White-crowned SparrowZonotrichia leucophrys
- White-eyed VireoVireo griseus
- Yellow RailCoturnicops noveboracensis
Plant details
- Family
- POLYGONACEAE
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Also known as
Polygonum polygamum var. polygamum
Conservation status
| Florida rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G4 |
| FL status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Sources
- Atlas of Florida Plants
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025)
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- 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
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications