About Orthosia scoparia (Nutt.) Liede & Meve
Orthosia scoparia, commonly called leafless swallow-wort, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Orthosia of the Apocynaceae (dogbane) family. This climbing, perennial herbaceous vine reaches about 5 feet in height. Despite its common name, it has narrow opposite leaves, and produces yellowish or greenish white flowers. It is native to the Southeastern United States and the Caribbean, with confirmed native occurrences in the Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Florida, Georgia, Haiti, Jamaica, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, and South Carolina. It acts as a host plant for caterpillars of multiple butterfly species, as well as for Sephina gundlachii. Caterpillars of the faithful beauty moth (Composia fidelissima) are thought to feed on this plant. It has six homotypic synonyms and twenty heterotypic synonyms.
