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Pictured: Froelichia floridana — the species. This variety isn’t separately illustrated.
Amaranthaceae family

Plains Snakecotton (var. floridana) Froelichia floridana var. floridana variety

Native

Plains Snakecotton (var. floridana) is an annual wildflower native to the lower 48 states.

More about this plant

Froelichia floridana is a species of flowering plant in the genus Froelichia, in the amaranth family (Amaranthaceae). It is known as prairie cottonweed, Florida snakecotton, large cottonweed, field snakecotton, or plains snakecotton. An annual, it produces white woolly flowers on tall flowering stalks, growing up to 40 in (1,000 mm) in height. The narrowly oblanceolate to elliptic leaves are opposite, occurring on the lower third of the stem. It grows in central and eastern North America, from the Great Plains to Mexico, east to the Atlantic Coast. Its propensity to spread easily has resulted in it being considered an agricultural weed and it is an invasive species in Australia. Wikipedia →

Growing & care

USDA PLANTS · TRY
Conditions
Sources · Conditions
Cold hardiness (derived) — Hardiness
Hardiness
≥ zone 7 derived from its U.S. range
Size & form
Sources · Size & form
USDA PLANTS — Lifespan
Lifespan
Annual
In the garden
Herb layer — Sits in the herb of a layered food forest or polyculture.Open guide →
derived roles
Species characteristics from USDA PLANTS (public domain) + TRY (CC BY) — general guidance, not a guarantee for your exact site. Deer "browsing" is documented palatability, not a deer-proof claim.

Wildlife & pollinators

How pollinator value is scored →
❧ Caterpillar hosts ~1 caterpillar species

Froelichia supports ~1 caterpillar species.

Native butterfly & moth caterpillars are the base of the terrestrial food web — most songbirds rear their young almost entirely on them. As a host for native Lepidoptera this is a modest genus.

Keystone count (genus-level) from Warren II 2026 (CC0) · Tallamy host-use records.
Sources for this entry (10) Open & cited
[01] Scientific name & family — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503)
[02] Growth habit & duration — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503)
[03] Native status & distribution — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503)
[04] Common name — USDA PLANTS (via GBIF)
[05] Invasive / introduced status — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503) — native status
[06] Description — Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
[07] Ecological value — Warren II 2026 (CC0) · Tallamy host-use counts
[08] Cold hardiness (derived) — Derived from U.S. range × USDA PHZM zones
[09] Caterpillar host count — Warren II 2026 (Dryad, CC0) · Tallamy host-use counts
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