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Bushy Goldentop

Euthamia leptocephala

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in fields, pastures, roadsides, prairies, savannas. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not scored

Native status unresolved in Louisiana. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height
Up to about 3 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to wet
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
August to October

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 42 Louisiana parishes.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 3

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

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

Prairies and grasslands

Open, grass-dominated places kept open by fire, grazing or thin soil, from tallgrass prairie to Piedmont prairies.

Pine savannas

Open, fire-kept longleaf pine stands over grasses and wildflowers on wet to moist sandy soil.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 72 animals.

All wildlife of Louisiana

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

76CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA

Genus host records with ranges including LA · Solidago

  • Agnorisma badinodisPale-Banded Dart
  • Agrotis gladiariaSwordsman Dart, Clay-Backed Cut-Worm
  • Alsophila pometariaFall Cankerworm Moth
  • Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
  • Ancylis floridanaStrawberry Leafroller
  • Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
  • Argyrotaenia ivanaIvana Leafroller Moth
  • Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
  • Bucculatrix angustataNarrow Bucculatrix
Show all 76
  • Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
  • Chlosyne nycteisSilvery Checkerspot
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
  • Cisseps fulvicollisYellow-Collared Scape Moth
  • Condica sutorThe Cobbler, Cobbler Groundling
  • Condica vidensWhite-Dotted Groundling
  • Cremastobombycia solidaginisGoldenrod Leafminer
  • Ctenoplusia oxygrammaSharp-Stigma Looper Moth
  • Cucullia asteroidesThe Asteroid, Asteroid Paint, Goldenrod Hooded Owlet
  • Dichomeris flavocostellaCream-Edged Dichomeris
  • Dichomeris inserrataIndented Dichomeris
  • Dichomeris juncidellaOrange-Dotted Dichomeris
  • Dichomeris ochripalpellaShining Dichomeris Moth
  • Dichomeris setosellaHairy Dichomeris
  • Endothenia hebesanaVerbena Bud Moth
  • Epiblema otiosanaBidens Borer Moth
  • Epiblema scudderianaScudder's Epiblema, Goldenrod Gall Moth
  • Epiblema tripartitanaThree-Parted Epiblema
  • Episimus argutanaSumac Leaftier
  • Eucosma raracanaReddish Eucosma, Reddish Phaneta
  • Euphydryas phaetonThe Baltimore, The Black Checker
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Eusarca confusariaConfused Eusarca
  • Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
  • Gnorimoschema gallaesolidaginisGoldenrod Gall Moth
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Hellinsia kellicottiiGoldenrod Borer Plume Moth
  • Herpetogramma aeglealisSerpentine Webworm
  • Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Herpetogramma thestealisZigzag Herpetogramma, Subtle-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Iridopsis humariaSmall Purplish Gray
  • Lacinipolia meditataThe Thinker
  • Leuconycta diphteroidesGreen Leuconycta
  • Lioptilodes albistriolatusMousy Plume Moth
  • Nephelodes miniansBronzed Cutworm
  • Orthodes majusculaRustic Quaker, Rustic Groundcat
  • Ostrinia obumbratalisSmartweed Borer
  • Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
  • Pelochrista cataclystianaSolidaga Eucosma, Solidaga Pelochrista
  • Pelochrista dorsisignatanaTriangle-Backed Eucosma
  • Pelochrista robinsonanaRobinson's Pelochrista, Robinson's Eucosma
  • Platynota idaeusalisTufted Apple-Bud Moth
  • Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
  • Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
  • Pseudeustrotia carneolaPink-Barred Lithacodia, Pink-Barred Pseudeustrotia
  • Schinia nundinaGoldenrod Flower Moth
  • Sonia constrictanaConstricted Sonia
  • Sparganothis distinctaDistinct Sparganothis
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
  • Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
  • Tricholita signataSignate Quaker, Signate Groundcat
  • Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier
  • Utetheisa ornatrixOrnate Moth, Pink Underwing, Rattlebox Moth, Bella Moth
  • Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
  • Zale lunataLunate Zale
  • Bucculatrix magnella
  • Bucculatrix solidaginiella
  • Dichomeris agonia
  • Epiblema desertana
  • Epiblema obfuscana
  • Hellinsia lacteodactylus
  • Helvibotys helvialis
  • Scrobipalpula sacculicola
  • Xenotemna pallorana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
36Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Solidago

  • Andrena asteris
  • Andrena braccata
  • Andrena canadensis
  • Andrena chromotricha
  • Andrena fulvipennis
  • Andrena hirticincta
  • Andrena nubecula
  • Andrena placata
  • Andrena simplex
  • Calliopsis coloradensis
Show all 36
  • Colletes americanus
  • Colletes compactus
  • Colletes rufocinctus
  • Colletes simulans
  • Colletes solidaginis
  • Colletes speculiferus
  • Colletes thysanellae
  • Dianthidium simile
  • Megachile inimica
  • Megachile xylocopoides
  • Melissodes coreopsis
  • Melissodes dentiventris
  • Melissodes druriellus
  • Melissodes fumosus
  • Melissodes illatus
  • Melissodes niveus
  • Melissodes trinodis
  • Perdita boltoniae
  • Perdita bruneri
  • Perdita laticincta
  • Perdita octomaculata
  • Perdita swenki
  • Protandrena aestivalis
  • Protandrena andrenoides
  • Protandrena citripes
  • Protandrena compositarum
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
2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

  • Centrocercus urophasianusGreater Sage-Grouse
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae
Flower color
Yellow or green

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Mississippi Valley Goldentop

Conservation status

Louisiana rankSNR
Global rankNot available
LA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source

In your garden

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