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Bushy Seedbox

Ludwigia alternifolia

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in freshwater tidal marshes, ditches, other marshes, open wet places, disturbed wet places. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

58
Strong

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

Profile 100%

Height
1.5–3.5 feet
Spread
1–1.5 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 1 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 100 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

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At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
Summer and fall

Recorded in 40 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

Freshwater tidal marshes

Marshes along tidal rivers where the water is fresh but rises and falls with the tide.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

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

Freshwater marshes

Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

7CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA

Genus host records with ranges including LA · Ludwigia

  • Alypia wittfeldiiWittfeld's Forester Moth
  • Elophila gyralisWaterlily Borer Moth
  • Eudryas unioPearly Wood-Nymph
  • Eumorpha fasciatusBanded Sphinx
  • Junonia coeniaCommon Buckeye
  • Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
  • Parapoynx seminealisFloating-Heart Waterlilly Moth, Waterlily Casebearer
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
32BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Ludwigia

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
4BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

  • Aix sponsaWood Duck
  • Fulica americanaAmerican Coot
  • Gallinula galeataCommon Gallinule
  • Porzana carolinaSora
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

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Onagraceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–8b
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
Yellow

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Alternate Leaf Seedbox

Conservation status

Louisiana rankSNR
Global rankG5
LA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources