Bloomipedia
American searocket (Cakile edentula)
Photo: bunnymom20 via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized

Flower profile

American searocket

Cakile edentula

American searocket (Cakile edentula) is a flowering plant in the Brassicaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly July–October across the U.S.

Native to Delaware

American searocket is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.

27states where USDA records it
219DE sightings*
6,840U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Delaware

Quick look

Cakile edentula, the American searocket, is a species of the flowering Cakile plant. This plant is native to North America.

  • It belongs to the Brassicaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual, biennial, perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 27 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Delaware. NatureServe
  • iNaturalist has 219 research-grade sightings of it in Delaware, ranking #69 among the 164 flowers on our Delaware list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (537 records)

There are only a handful of Delaware flowering records, so this chart uses records from across the U.S.

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
Delaware
Not listed Not on Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Delaware. DE rare plants 2024
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: IL (S2), IN (S1). (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?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

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 records American searocket in 27 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin.

Delaware counties with USDA records: Sussex.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Alaska: Native; Canada: Native; Greenland: Native; Lower 48 states: Native; St. Pierre and Miquelon: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 179 counties across 25 states; the most are in Michigan (29), New York (15), Virginia (14).

Other Cakile on Bloomipedia (1): European searocket.

More from the Brassicaceae family (24 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Garlic mustard, Dame's rocket, Cut-leaved toothwort, Wild radish, Milkmaids, Annual honesty, Western wallflower, Hoary alyssum.

More Delaware flowers

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)

Garlic mustard

Alliaria petiolata

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in DE: April
Cut-leaved toothwort (Cardamine concatenata)

Cut-leaved toothwort

Cardamine concatenata

Native

🌼 Blooms in DE: April
Dame's rocket (Hesperis matronalis)

Dame's rocket

Hesperis matronalis

Introduced

🌼 Few flowering records in DE

Sources