Bloomipedia
Aunt lucy (Ellisia nyctelea)
Photo: Ali Powell via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Aunt lucy

Ellisia nyctelea

Native to Nebraska

Aunt lucy is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Nebraska it's most often seen in bloom in April–June.

30states
259NE sightings*
2,935U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Nebraska

Quick look

Ellisia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hydrophyllaceae, containing the sole species Ellisia nyctelea. It is native to North America, where it is also known as Aunt Lucy, false baby blue eyes, and waterpod. The genus was named in honor of British naturalist John Ellis, a contemporary of, and correspondent to, Carl Linnaeus.

  • It belongs to the Boraginaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 30 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Nebraska. NatureServe
  • In Nebraska, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 259 research-grade sightings of it in Nebraska, ranking #54 among the 108 flowers on our Nebraska list. iNaturalist

Aunt lucy gift ideas

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When does it bloom?

In Nebraska, most flowering sightings come in April–June.

Flowering records by month in Nebraska (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (64 records)

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
Nebraska
Not listed Not on Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nebraska. 163 NAC 4-004
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: DC (SX), NJ (S1), NY (S1), PA (S2), WV (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 aunt lucy in 30 states plus Washington, D.C.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming; District of Columbia.

Nebraska counties with USDA records: Box Butte, Brown, Buffalo, Burt, Cass, Cedar, Cherry, Clay, Cuming, Custer, Dakota, Dawes, Dixon, Dodge, Douglas, Frontier, Furnas, Gage, Garden, Grant, Harlan, Hitchcock, Holt, Jefferson, Johnson, Kearney, Kimball, Knox, Lancaster, Nuckolls, Otoe, Phelps, Platte, Polk, Red Willow, Richardson, Saline, Sarpy, Saunders, Seward, Sheridan, Sioux, Thayer, Thomas, Thurston, Washington, Wayne, Webster, York.

More Nebraska flowers

Virginia waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum)

Virginia waterleaf

Hydrophyllum virginianum

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in NE
Narrowleaf puccoon (Lithospermum incisum)

Narrowleaf puccoon

Lithospermum incisum

Native

🌼 Blooms in NE: April–May
Hairy puccoon (Lithospermum caroliniense)

Hairy puccoon

Lithospermum caroliniense

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in NE

Sources