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Wingstem

Verbesina alternifolia

Found in alluvial forests, marshes, floodplain pastures. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

81
Keystone

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

Profile 94%

Height
Up to about 6 feet
Spread
2–6 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 4 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 6 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
Summer and fall

Recorded in 85 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

Floodplain and bottomland forests

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

Freshwater marshes

Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

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

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 141 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

22CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Verbesina

  • Chlosyne nycteisSilvery Checkerspot
  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Basilodes pepitaGold Moth, Crownbeard Seedcropper
  • Celastrina neglectaSummer Azure
  • Chlosyne harrisiiHarris' Checkerspot
  • Cirrhophanus trianguliferGoldenrod Stowaway, Beggarticks Seedcropper
  • Dichomeris setosellaHairy Dichomeris
  • Dysodia oculatanaEyed Thyris
  • Euphydryas phaetonThe Baltimore, The Black Checker
  • Homoeosoma electellaSunflower Moth
Show all 22
  • Lascoria ambigualisAmbiguous Moth, Ambiguous Litter Moth
  • Ogdoconta cinereolaCommon Pinkband Groundling
  • Phyciodes tharosPearl Crescent, Crescentspot
  • Schinia sirenAluring Schinia Moth
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
  • Adaina bipunctatus
  • Agonopterix eupatoriiella
  • Cremastobombycia ignota
  • Dichrorampha leopardana
  • Phtheochroa terminana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
40BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Verbesina

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 · Verbesina

  • Andrena aliciae
  • Calliopsis coloradensis
  • Colletes compactus
  • Megachile xylocopoides
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
2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

  • Callipepla gambeliiGambel's Quail
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
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
Hardiness
Zones 4a–8b
Flower color
Yellow or green

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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Sources