Wingstem

Verbesina alternifolia

Native to South Carolina (estimated)

Verbesina alternifolia — flower/foliage photograph — (c) Lexi Destria, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph · iNaturalist medium image; no additional crop, retouching, or re-encoding.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

21CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including SC

Genus host records with ranges including SC · Verbesina

Chlosyne nycteisSilvery Checkerspot
Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
Anthanassa texanaTexan Crescent
Basilodes pepitaGold Moth, Crownbeard Seedcropper
Celastrina neglectaSummer Azure
Cirrhophanus trianguliferGoldenrod Stowaway, Beggarticks Seedcropper
Dichomeris setosellaHairy Dichomeris
Dysodia oculatanaEyed Thyris
Euphydryas phaetonThe Baltimore, The Black Checker
Homoeosoma electellaSunflower Moth

Show all 21

Lascoria ambigualisAmbiguous Moth, Ambiguous Litter Moth
Ogdoconta cinereolaCommon Pinkband Groundling
Phyciodes tharosPearl Crescent, Crescentspot
Schinia binaBina Flower Moth
Schinia sirenAluring Schinia Moth
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
Adaina bipunctatus
Agonopterix eupatoriiella
Dichrorampha leopardana

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

40BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Verbesina

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

4Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Verbesina

Andrena aliciae
Calliopsis coloradensis
Colletes compactus
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

2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

Callipepla gambeliiGambel's Quail
Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey

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 4a–8b
Flower color: Yellow or green

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

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “Summer and fall” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Flower color · “Yellow or green” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Hardiness · “Zones 4a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “About 8 feet in flower” · Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide · Nursery cultural guide; height in flower; moisture categories retained as printed
Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Good drainage; Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “2–6 feet” · Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder

Also known as

Wingstem

Conservation status

South Carolina rank	Not available
Global rank	G5
SC status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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