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Swamp Jessamine

Gelsemium rankinii

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in blackwater river swamps, Atlantic white cedar swamps along streams. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

14
Modest

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

Profile 100%

Height
5–20 feet
Spread
3–20 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 11.5 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Evergreen
Bloom
February to April
Fruiting season
September to October

Recorded in 5 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 2

Swamps

The Land of Evangeline
Joseph Rusling Meeker, The Land of Evangeline (1874): moss-hung trees over a still bayou in Louisiana swamp forest. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Louisiana bayou country (Meeker, The Land of Evangeline, 1874)The Land of Evangeline, Joseph Rusling Meeker, 1874. Public domain. Source record. scaled to 1280 x 923 by the Wikimedia thumbnailer from 4096 x 2953; no crop or other change

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 100 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (34)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of Louisiana

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

0CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA
5BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Gelsemium

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

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Gelsemiaceae
Hardiness
Zones 7a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
Yellow
Fruit begins
September
Fruit ends
October
Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Louisiana rankS2
Global rankG5
LA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Sources