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Camphor Pluchea

Pluchea camphorata

Found in bottomland sloughs, clay flatwoods, other freshwater wetlands, also weedy in upland areas, particularly in sunny areas and following disturbance. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

66
Strong

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

Profile 94%

Height
Up to about 6 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Moist to standing water
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual
Bloom
August to October

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 46 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 2

Pine flatwoods

Wet Pine Flatwoods, Shaken Creek Preserve - typical shrub layer
Wet pine flatwoods with a shrub layer. Shown: Shaken Creek Preserve, Pender and Onslow Counties, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Wet Pine Flatwoods, Shaken Creek Preserve - typical shrub layer, Robert Thornhill, undated. CC BY 4.0. Source record.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 106 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

7CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Pluchea

  • Adaina ambrosiaeAmbrosia Plume Moth, Ragweed Plume Moth
  • Dichomeris setosellaHairy Dichomeris
  • Hellinsia balanotesBaccharis Borer Plume Moth, Groundsel Plume Moth
  • Lioptilodes albistriolatusMousy Plume Moth
  • Schinia arcigeraArcigera Flower Moth
  • Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
  • Adaina bipunctatus
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
26BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Pluchea

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
9Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Pluchea

  • Andrena asteris
  • Andrena hirticincta
  • Colletes americanus
  • Colletes compactus
  • Colletes simulans
  • Colletes speculiferus
  • Dieunomia heteropoda
  • Megachile xylocopoides
  • Perdita octomaculata
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

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae
Flower color
Pink or purple

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

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “August to October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “Pink or purple” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Height · “Up to about 6 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Life cycle · “Annual” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Soil · “Moist; Water; Wet (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Also known as

Camphor Weed

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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Sources