States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaFloridaVirginia
Menu

Garden Cosmos

Cosmos bipinnatus

Found in garden edges, roadsides, disturbed areas, commonly cultivated horticulturally, sometimes escaped. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

—
Not native

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

Profile 71%

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

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual

Not yet recorded · Leaves · Bloom

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 6 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

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

7CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Cosmos

  • Homoeosoma electellaSunflower Moth
  • Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
  • Papaipema marginidensBrick-Red Borer
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Papilio polyxenesBlack Swallowtail, Celery Caterpillar, Fennel Worm, Desert Black Swallowtail, Parsnip Swallowtail
  • Rachiplusia ouGray Looper
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
4Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Cosmos

  • Dieunomia heteropoda
  • Megachile pugnata
  • Melissodes dentiventris
  • Melissodes trinodis
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
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae
Hardiness
Zones 2a–11b
Soil pH
Neutral to alkaline
Flower color
Yellow, pink, purple or white

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Cosmos

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNA
Global rankGNR
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources