Smooth Pigweed
Amaranthus hybridus
Native to Louisiana (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 71%
- Height
- Up to about 8 feet
- Light
- Sun

At a glance
- Life cycle
- Annual
Not yet recorded · Spread · Soil · Leaves · Bloom
This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.
Recorded in 44 Louisiana parishes.
Who uses this plant?
42CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA
Genus host records with ranges including LA · Amaranthus
- Achyra rantalisGarden Webworm Moth
- Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
- Amyna strictaEight-Spot Moth
- Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
- Argyrotaenia ivanaIvana Leafroller Moth
- Dicymolomia julianalisJulia's Dicymolomia
- Disclisioprocta stellataSomber Carpet, Bougainvillea Looper
- Epiblema otiosanaBidens Borer Moth
- Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
- Feltia repletaReplete Dart
Show all 42
- Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
- Gesta martialisMottled Duskywing
- Hahncappsia mancalisCommon Hahncappsia
- Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
- Herpetogramma bipunctalisSouthern Beet Webworm, Two-Spotted Herpetogramma
- Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
- Hymenia perspectalisSpotted Beet Webworm
- Melanochroia chephiseWhite-Tipped Black Moth, Snowbush Spanworm
- Mocis latipesSmall Mocis, Striped Grass Looper
- Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
- Neogalea suniaLantana Stick Caterpillar, Catabena Moth
- Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
- Pholisora catullusCommon Sootywing
- Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
- Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
- Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
- Psara obscuralisObscure Psara Moth
- Rhectocraspeda periusalisEggplant Webworm
- Scythris trivinctellaBanded Scythris
- Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
- Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
- Spodoptera albulaWhite-Spotted Armyworm, Gray-Streaked Armyworm
- Spodoptera dolichosSweetpotato Armyworm, Dolichos Armyworm, Large Cotton Armyworm
- Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
- Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
- Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
- Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
- Staphylus hayhurstiiHayhurst's Scallopwing, Scalloped Sooty Wing, Scalloped Sootywing
- Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier
- Virbia aurantiacaOrange Virbia, Orange Holomelina
- Helvibotys helvialis
- Paralobesia vernoniana
4BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Amaranthus
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
39BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Amaranthus
- Acanthis flammeaCommon Redpoll
- Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
- Agelaius tricolorTricolored Blackbird
- Alectoris chukarChukar
- Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
- Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
- Calcarius ornatusChestnut-collared Longspur
- Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
- Columba liviaRock Pigeon
- Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
Show all 39
- Euphagus cyanocephalusBrewer's Blackbird
- Haemorhous mexicanusHouse Finch
- Ixoreus naeviusVaried Thrush
- Junco hyemalisDark-eyed Junco
- Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
- Melospiza melodiaSong Sparrow
- Melozone crissalisCalifornia Towhee
- Molothrus aterBrown-headed Cowbird
- Oreortyx pictusMountain Quail
- Perdix perdixGray Partridge
- Pheucticus melanocephalusBlack-headed Grosbeak
- Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
- Pipilo maculatusSpotted Towhee
- Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
- Pooecetes gramineusVesper Sparrow
- Rhynchophanes mccowniiMcCown's Longspur
- Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
- Spizella breweriBrewer's Sparrow
- Spizella passerinaChipping Sparrow
- Spizelloides arboreaAmerican Tree Sparrow
- Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
- Tympanuchus pallidicinctusLesser Prairie-Chicken
- Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird
- Vireo belliiBell's Vireo
- Vireo olivaceusRed-eyed Vireo
- Zenaida asiaticaWhite-winged Dove
- Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
- Zonotrichia atricapillaGolden-crowned Sparrow
- Zonotrichia leucophrysWhite-crowned Sparrow
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
Plant details
- Family
- Amaranthaceae
- Flower color
- Green
What its natural habitat tells you
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Flower color · “Green” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Height · “Up to about 8 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Life cycle · “Annual” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Light · “Sun” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- primary_flower_color · “green” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Also known as
Slim Amaranth; Slim Pigweed; Smooth Amaranth
Conservation status
| Louisiana rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5? |
| LA 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
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Louisiana occurrence source
- 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

