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Red Turtlehead

Chelone obliqua

Found in streambanks, swamp forests, ecotones of freshwater tidal marshes. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

25
Good

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

Profile 100%

Height
2–3 feet
Spread
1–2 feet
Light
Dappled sunlight, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 1.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 44 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
July to October
Fruiting season
September to November

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 1 Mississippi county.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 3

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

Swamps

Forested wetlands with standing water much of the year, such as cypress and gum swamps.

Freshwater tidal marshes

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

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

2CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · Chelone

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
3BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Chelone

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
Plantaginaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
Pink or purple
Fruit begins
September
Fruit ends
November

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Purple Turtlehead; Red Turtle Head

Conservation status

Mississippi rankSH
Global rankG4
MS statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Sources