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Cowpea Witchweed

Striga gesnerioides

Found in cultivated fields, parasitic on Fabaceae (specifically Indigofera hirsuta and Alysicarpus ovalifolius in our area). Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 6%

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 8 Florida counties.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

2CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Striga

  • Junonia coeniaCommon Buckeye
  • Stenoptilodes taprobanesNarrow Plume Moth
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Orobanchaceae

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

Conservation status

Florida rankSNA
Global rankNot available
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source

Native alternatives

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Sources