Lanceleaf Ragweed

Ambrosia bidentata

Found in barrens, prairies, mafic and calcareous woodlands. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height: Up to about 3 feet
Light: Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry to moist

Ambrosia bidentata photograph — pamelabarnabee · CC0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Annual
Bloom: July to November

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 6 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement.

1 of 2

Limestone cedar glade. Shown: Pennyroyal Plain, Simpson County, Kentucky, a neighboring state.Cedar glade in the Pennyroyal Plain, Simpson County, Mason Brock (Masebrock), undated. Public domain. Source record.

Barrens grassland after a prescribed fire. Shown: Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, a neighboring state.Barrens native plants returning after prescribed fire, September 2020, NPS Photo / Rick Olson, September 2020. Public domain. Source record.

Habitats

Glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone; glades, barrens and outcrops on mafic or serpentine rock; prairies and grasslands; forests and woodlands.

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there. All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

58CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Ambrosia

Achyra rantalisGarden Webworm Moth
Adaina ambrosiaeAmbrosia Plume Moth, Ragweed Plume Moth
Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
Azenia obtusaObtuse Yellow
Caenurgina erechteaClover Looper Moth, Common Grass Moth, Forage Looper
Chionodes mediofuscellaBlack-Smudged Chionodes
Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
Condica sutorThe Cobbler, Cobbler Groundling
Dichomeris juncidellaOrange-Dotted Dichomeris

Show all 58

Ephestiodes infimellaReddish Ephestiodes
Epiblema otiosanaBidens Borer Moth
Epiblema strenuanaRagweed Borer
Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
Exelastis pumilioDwarf Plume Moth
Feltia subgothicaSubgothic Dart
Feltia tricosaConfused Dart, Tricose Dart
Helcystogramma chambersellaChambers' Twirler
Hellinsia inquinatusBlack-Marked Plume Moth
Herpetogramma bipunctalisSouthern Beet Webworm, Two-Spotted Herpetogramma
Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
Lascoria ambigualisAmbiguous Moth, Ambiguous Litter Moth
Leptostales pannariaPannaria Wave
Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
Ogdoconta cinereolaCommon Pinkband Groundling
Ostrinia obumbratalisSmartweed Borer
Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Papaipema rutilaMayapple Borer
Pelochrista cataclystianaSolidaga Eucosma, Solidaga Pelochrista
Pholisora catullusCommon Sootywing
Plagiomimicus pityochromusBlack-Barred Brown, Ragweed Seedcropper
Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
Polygonia interrogationisQuestion Mark
Ponometia candefactaOlive-Shaded Bird-Dropping Moth
Ponometia erastrioidesSmall Bird-Dropping Moth
Rachiplusia ouGray Looper
Schinia gracilentaIva Flower Moth, Slender Flower Moth
Schinia rivulosaRagweed Flower Moth
Schinia thoreauiThoreau's Flower Moth
Scopula inductataSoft-Lined Wave
Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Spragueia leoCommon Spragueia
Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
Tricholita signataSignate Quaker, Signate Groundcat
Bucculatrix agnella
Bucculatrix pomifoliella
Dichomeris washingtoniella
Epiblema minutana
Gnorimoschema saphirinella
Hahncappsia marculenta
Landryia impositella
Paralobesia sambuci
Paralobesia vernoniana

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

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

31BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

Acanthis flammeaCommon Redpoll
Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
Ammodramus savannarumGrasshopper Sparrow
Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
Anthus spragueiiSprague's Pipit
Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
Calcarius pictusSmith's Longspur
Cardinalis cardinalisNorthern Cardinal
Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove

Show all 31

Corvus brachyrhynchosAmerican Crow
Dolichonyx oryzivorusBobolink
Eremophila alpestrisHorned Lark
Haemorhous mexicanusHouse Finch
Junco hyemalisDark-eyed Junco
Loxia curvirostraRed Crossbill
Loxia leucopteraWhite-winged Crossbill
Melospiza lincolniiLincoln's Sparrow
Melospiza melodiaSong Sparrow
Molothrus aterBrown-headed Cowbird
Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca
Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
Quiscalus quisculaCommon Grackle
Rhynchophanes mccowniiMcCown's Longspur
Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
Sturnus vulgarisEuropean Starling
Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
Tympanuchus phasianellusSharp-tailed Grouse
Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
Zonotrichia querulaHarris's Sparrow

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: Asteraceae
Flower color: Green

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

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “July to November” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Green” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Height · “Up to about 3 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Life cycle · “Annual” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Light · “Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
primary_flower_color · “green” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia

Also known as

Lance Leaf Ragweed

Conservation status

Virginia rank	SNA
Global rank	G5
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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