Quercus

Dog-fennel

Eupatorium capillifolium

Native to South Carolina (estimated)

Very weedy. Can be difficult to manage in a garden. Hidden from planting suggestions by default; wildlife value remains unchanged. Plant caution source

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

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

41CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including SC

Genus host records with ranges including SC · Eupatorium

  • Agonopterix pulvipennellaGoldenrod Leaffolder, Featherduster Agonopterix
  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
  • Carmenta bassiformisEupatorium Borer Moth, Ironweed Clearwing Moth
  • Carmenta pyralidiformisBoneset Borer Moth
  • Carmenta texanaTexana Clearwing Moth
  • Celastrina neglectaSummer Azure
  • Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
  • Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
  • Cisseps fulvicollisYellow-Collared Scape Moth
  • Condica vecorsDusky Groundling
Show all 41
  • Dichomeris setosellaHairy Dichomeris
  • Digrammia continuataCurve-Lined Angle
  • Dysodia oculatanaEyed Thyris
  • Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
  • Eugnosta erigeronanaFleabane Cochylid
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Feltia subgothicaSubgothic Dart
  • Feltia tricosaConfused Dart, Tricose Dart
  • Haploa clymeneClymene Moth
  • Hellinsia unicolorUnmarked Plume Moth
  • Oedemasia concinnaRed-Humped Caterpillar, Red-Humped Appleworm
  • Oenobotys vinotinctalisWine-Tinted Oenobotys Moth
  • Oidaematophorus eupatoriiEupatorium Plume Moth
  • Orthodes majusculaRustic Quaker, Rustic Groundcat
  • Ostrinia obumbratalisSmartweed Borer
  • Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
  • Papaipema harrisiiHeracleum Stem Borer Moth, Cow Parsnip Borer
  • Patania silicalisHerbivorous Patania, Herbivorous Pleuroptya
  • Perigea xanthioidesRed Groundling
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
  • Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
  • Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
  • Schinia trifasciaThree-Lined Flower Moth
  • Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
  • Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
  • Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
  • Tornos scolopacinariaDimorphic Gray
  • Agonopterix atrodorsella
  • Agonopterix eupatoriiella
  • Dichomeris aglaia
  • Dichrorampha leopardana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
34BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Eupatorium

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
2Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Eupatorium

  • Colletes simulans
  • Megachile xylocopoides
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
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

  • Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–10b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Green or white
Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Dog Fennel; Dog fennel; Eupatorium capillifolium var. capillifolium

Conservation status

South Carolina rankNot available
Global rankG5
SC statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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Sources