Flower profile
American basketflower
Plectocephalus americanus
American basketflower (Plectocephalus americanus) is a flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, blooming mostly May–June across the U.S.
American basketflower is a flowering plant. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–June.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
Quick look
Centaurea americana, commonly called American starthistle or American basketflower, is an annual native to the southern central United States and northeastern Mexico. Its common name comes from the underside of the inflorescence, which has a basket weave pattern on it and on the flowerbuds.
- It belongs to the Asteraceae family. iNaturalist
- NatureServe lists it as native to Texas and Oklahoma. NatureServe
- In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–June. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 13,163 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #38 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 484 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #70 among the 159 flowers on our Oklahoma list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Texas
- Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. 31 TAC 69.8
- Oklahoma
- No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: AZ (S2), KS (S1), MO (SH). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant)) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS has no state-by-state distribution for this name, so we can't map it yet.
Names, range and relatives
More from the Asteraceae family (212 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Common yarrow, Goldenrods, White snakeroot, Sunflowers, Chicory, Black-eyed Susan, Bull thistle, Common dandelion.
More Texas flowers
Sources
- USDA PLANTS: no profile matched this name.
- iNaturalist, Plectocephalus americanus: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Centaurea americana (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
- Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
- Oklahoma: Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law (2 O.S. § 3-220).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Plectocephalus americanus (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Catherine C. Galley via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.