Staggerbush
Lyonia mariana
Found in pine flatwoods, savannas, pocosin-sandhill ecotones, less commonly in dry rocky woodlands in the lower Piedmont (especially with chestnut oak). Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you
73
Strong
Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 100%
- Height
- Up to about 5 feet
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Somewhat dry to moist
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Woody perennial
- Leaves
- Deciduous or evergreen
- Bloom
- April to May
- Fruiting season
- September to October
JFMAMJJASOND
Not yet recorded · Spread
Recorded in 47 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
Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 114 animals.
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelina
- Yellow-crowned Night-heronNyctanassa violacea
- Yellow-throated WarblerDendroica dominica
- American Black DuckAnas rubripes
- American CootFulica americana
- American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
- American Tree SparrowSpizella arborea
- Black-and-White WarblerMniotilta varia
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Chuck-will's-widowCaprimulgus carolinensis
- Evening GrosbeakCoccothraustes vespertinus
- Fox SparrowPasserella iliaca
- Gray CatbirdDumetella carolinensis
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- Horned GrebePodiceps auritus
- Indigo BuntingPasserina cyanea
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutilla
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
- Loggerhead ShrikeLanius ludovicianus
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
14CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA
Genus host records with ranges including VA · Lyonia
- Argyrostrotis quadrifilarisFour-Lined Chocolate, Hickory Leafroller
- Argyrostrotis sylvarumWoodland Chocolate
- Catocala andromedaeAndromeda Underwing
- Cecrita biundataWavy-Lined Heterocampa
- Datana majorMajor Datana, Azalea Caterpillar
- Datana ministraYellow-Necked Caterpillar Moth
- Datana ranaecepsPost-Burn Datana
- Megalopyge opercularisSouthern Flannel Moth, Puss Caterpillar
- Nola pustulataSharp-Blotched Nola
- Pangrapta decoralisDecorated Owlet
Show all 14
- Paonias astylusHuckleberry Sphinx
- Sphinx gordiusApple Sphinx
- Tallula watsoniWatson's Tallula
- Xestia elimataSouthern Variable Dart, Southern Pine Dart
19BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Lyonia
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 · Lyonia
- Andrena kalmiae
- Colletes productus
- Melitta melittoides
- Perdita novaeangliae
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claimNo records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 5a–9b
- Soil pH
- Acidic
- 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
- Bloom · “April to May” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “Pink or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
- Fruit begins · “September” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Fruit ends · “October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Hardiness · “Zones 5a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “Up to about 5 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Leaves · “Deciduous or evergreen” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
- Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
- 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 (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
- Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
- Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Conservation status
| Virginia rank | S5 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| VA status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Choose a county to begin.
Sources
- Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition
- NatureServe Explorer
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- 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
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications