Indian hemp (AKA dogbane) has small, sweetly aromatic greenish-white flowers that appear in early summer before many other species are blooming, making it an important source of nourishment for a large number of pollinators. The abundant nectar and pollen attracts cuckoo bees, halictid bees, plasterer bees, masked bees, sphecid wasps, syrphid flies, bee flies, tachinid flies, calliphorid flies, butterflies, skippers and beetles, including the iridescent dogbane beetle, whose offspring also specialize on the leaves. The leaves also provide food for numerous showy moths in central Ohio, including the snowberry clearwing, dogbane tiger, night-wandering dagger, catocaline dart, striped garden caterpillar, purple-lined sallow, blackberry looper and zebra caterpillar moths (all pictured here in order mentioned, some larval, some adult and some with both stages). Seed pods are long and narrow and contain many silk-tufted seeds that are prized by birds as nesting material.
Being in the same plant family, dogbane and milkweed share some of the same chemical compounds that make both indigestible to herbivores, so this plant is deer, rabbit and groundhog-resistant.
Plant Characteristics:
Reaches 3 to 4 feet tall, spreading aggressively by underground rhizomes.
Site in full to part sun.
Grows in dry to wet soils.
Wildlife Value:Hosts 17 caterpillar species, including 4 that host exclusively on Indian hemp. The iridescent dogbane beetle feeds exclusively on dogbane species. The flowers produce abundant nectar that attracts a wide variety of pollinators, including many species of bees (cuckoo bees, halictid bees, masked bees, plasterer bees), wasps, flies, and butterflies. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service ranks its value to pollinators as "very high." The plant also attracts various natural enemies of pests, such as predatory lacewings, and parasitic wasps, which can help with natural pest control in surrounding areas. Birds use the fluff from the seeds for building their nests. The plant's vigorous and often colonial growth habit can create dense patches that provide cover and security for small wildlife. Resistant to deer, rabbits and groundhogs.
Edible, Medicinal and Other Uses:
Indian hemp seeds were eaten whole or pressed for a nutritious oil, providing protein, essential fats, and calories that supported daily life in many ancient cultures.
Medicinally, Indian hemp has been used for thousands of years in traditions such as Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Historical texts describe its use to ease pain, support sleep, calm the nervous system, and address a range of physical ailments, reflecting an early understanding of the plant’s therapeutic properties.
Beyond food and medicine, Indian hemp was indispensable for its strong fibers, which were woven into ropes, sails, textiles, and paper, shaping trade, travel, and communication across civilizations. It also held spiritual and ceremonial significance, used as an entheogen in religious rituals and cultural practices from ancient India and China to Scythian societies, illustrating the plant’s deep and multifaceted relationship with human history.
Caution: All parts of the plant except the seeds are poisonous when fresh or dried, and ingestion can be fatal; livestock—especially sheep, horses, and cattle—are highly vulnerable and may be killed by ingesting as little as 15–30 grams of green leaves. The plant exudes a milky white latex sap that can cause skin irritation or rashes in sensitive individuals and is extremely harmful if it comes into contact with the eyes.
