Flower profile
American basketflower
Plectocephalus americanus
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 April–July.
*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 April–July. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 13,163 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #37 among the 109 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 484 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #70 among the 110 flowers on our Oklahoma list. iNaturalist
American basketflower gift ideas
Handmade american basketflower gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
-
Placeholder
American basketflower art print
-
Placeholder
American basketflower greeting card
-
Placeholder
American basketflower mug
-
Placeholder
American basketflower earrings
-
Placeholder
American basketflower embroidery pattern
-
Placeholder
American basketflower sticker
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.
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.