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Spreading Dogbane

Apocynum androsaemifolium

Found in forests, woodlands, prairies, flood-scour, roadsides, pastures. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

59
Strong

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

Profile 94%

Height
2–3 feet
Spread
3–4 feet
Light
Dappled sunlight, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Dry to average

Space about 3.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 8 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
June to August
Fruiting season
September to October

Recorded in 31 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 3

Prairies and grasslands

Barrens native plants returning after prescribed fire, September 2020
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.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

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

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

17CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Apocynum

  • Acronicta impressaImpressive Dagger, Printed Dagger
  • Acronicta noctivagaNight-Wandering Dagger, Burglar Dagger
  • Arctia parthenosSt. Lawrence Tiger Moth
  • Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
  • Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
  • Clepsis clemensianaClemens' Clepsis
  • Cycnia oregonensisOregon Cycnia
  • Cycnia teneraDelicate Cycnia, Dogbane Tiger Moth
  • Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar Moth
  • Ostrinia penitalisAmerican Lotus Borer, Lily Moth
Show all 17
  • Papaipema baptisiaeWild Indigo Borer, Indigo Stem Borer
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Pygarctia abdominalisYellow-Edged Pygarctia
  • Pyrrhia exprimensPurple-Lined Sallow, Purple-Lined Sun Moth
  • Saucrobotys futilalisDogbane Saucrobotys
  • Spargaloma sexpunctataSix-Spotted Gray
  • Trichordestra legitimaStriped Garden Caterpillar Moth
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
18BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Apocynum

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
Flies 3
  • Graphomyia americana
  • Lucilia sylvarum
  • Trichophora ruficauda

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other wasps 1
  • Sphex vulgaris

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Apocynaceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–9b
Flower color
Pink or white
Fruit begins
September
Fruit ends
October

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

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Virginia rankS5
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Sources