Flowering shrub

Border forsythia

Forsythia × intermedia

🌷 Flowering shrub

Border forsythia is a popular flowering shrub. It's on our flower lists for 42 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in February–April.

–states

42of our state lists

1,005U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 23, 2026. Planted garden shrubs are mostly excluded from research grade.

On our lists for: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Quick look

Forsythia × intermedia, or border forsythia, is an ornamental deciduous shrub of garden origin.
From Wikipedia's article Forsythia × intermedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Oleaceae family. ^iNaturalist
In Pennsylvania, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–December. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 205 research-grade sightings of it in New York, ranking #123 among the 193 flowers on our New York list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 144 research-grade sightings of it in Pennsylvania, ranking #123 among the 190 flowers on our Pennsylvania list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 119 research-grade sightings of it in New Jersey, ranking #113 among the 186 flowers on our New Jersey list. ^iNaturalist

Border forsythia gift ideas

Handmade border forsythia 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.

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Border forsythia art print
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Border forsythia greeting card
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Border forsythia mug
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Border forsythia earrings
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Border forsythia embroidery pattern
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Border forsythia sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (161 records)

Bloom time in each of our 42 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
New York	🌷 Garden	few records	205
Pennsylvania	🌷 Garden	March–December	144
New Jersey	🌷 Garden	few records	119
Maryland	🌷 Garden	few records	83
Virginia	🌷 Garden	few records	76
Massachusetts	🌷 Garden	few records	72
Washington	🌷 Garden	few records	41
North Carolina	🌷 Garden	few records	29
Michigan	🌷 Garden	March–May	24
Wisconsin	🌷 Garden	few records	24
Georgia	🌷 Garden	few records	23
Ohio	🌷 Garden	few records	23
West Virginia	🌷 Garden	few records	19
Tennessee	🌷 Garden	few records	17
Connecticut	🌷 Garden	few records	14
New Hampshire	🌷 Garden	few records	12
Delaware	🌷 Garden	few records	10
Illinois	🌷 Garden	few records	9
Indiana	🌷 Garden	few records	9
Kentucky	🌷 Garden	few records	9
Alabama	🌷 Garden	few records	7
Missouri	🌷 Garden	few records	5
Oregon	🌷 Garden	few records	5
Vermont	🌷 Garden	few records	5
Maine	🌷 Garden	few records	3
South Carolina	🌷 Garden	few records	3
Arkansas	🌷 Garden	few records	2
Nebraska	🌷 Garden	few records	2
Rhode Island	🌷 Garden	few records	2
California	🌷 Garden	few records	1
Colorado	🌷 Garden	few records	1
Idaho	🌷 Garden	few records	1
Louisiana	🌷 Garden	few records	1
Minnesota	🌷 Garden	few records	1
Iowa	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Mississippi	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Montana	🌷 Garden	few records	0
New Mexico	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Nevada	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Oklahoma	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Texas	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Utah	🌷 Garden	few records	0

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe: Unknown We couldn't find this name in NatureServe Explorer. ^NatureServe
New York: n/a New York's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{6 NYCRR § 193.3}
Pennsylvania: n/a Pennsylvania's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{17 Pa. Code Ch. 45}
New Jersey: n/a New Jersey's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1}
Maryland: n/a Maryland's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{COMAR 08.03.08}
Virginia: n/a Virginia's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^2VAC5-320-10
Massachusetts: n/a Massachusetts's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{MESA list}
Washington: No list Washington has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the Washington Natural Heritage Program's rare plant list isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Washington ranks instead.
North Carolina: n/a North Carolina's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{02 NCAC 48F .0301}
Michigan: n/a Michigan's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{R 299.1028}
Wisconsin: n/a Wisconsin's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{NR 27.03}
Georgia: n/a Georgia's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
Ohio: n/a Ohio's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{OAC 1501:18-1-03}
West Virginia: No list West Virginia has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (only federally listed species are protected), so we show NatureServe's West Virginia ranks instead.
Tennessee: n/a Tennessee's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{TN rule 0400-06-02-.04}
Connecticut: n/a Connecticut's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{CT E/T/SC list}
New Hampshire: n/a New Hampshire's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{NH Ncr 312}
Delaware: n/a Delaware's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{DE rare plants 2024}
Illinois: n/a Illinois's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{IL E&T checklist 2025}
Indiana: No list Indiana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the DNR keeps a rare plant list, but it isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Indiana ranks instead.
Kentucky: n/a Kentucky's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{400 KAR 3:040}
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead.
Missouri: n/a Missouri's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{3 CSR 10-4.111}
Oregon: n/a Oregon's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{OAR 603-073-0070}
Vermont: n/a Vermont's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{Vermont E&T list}
Maine: n/a Maine's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{Maine rare plant list}
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead.
Arkansas: No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead.
Nebraska: n/a Nebraska's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{163 NAC 4-004}
Rhode Island: n/a Rhode Island's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{RI rare plants 2016}
California: n/a California's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)}
Colorado: No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead.
Idaho: No list Idaho has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Idaho ranks instead.
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks.
Minnesota: n/a Minnesota's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{Minn. R. 6134.0300}
Iowa: n/a Iowa's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{IAC 571-77.3}
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead.
Montana: No list Montana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Montana ranks instead.
New Mexico: n/a New Mexico's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
Nevada: n/a Nevada's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{NAC 527.010}
Oklahoma: No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead.
Texas: n/a Texas's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{31 TAC 69.8}
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead.

Checked October 23, 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)) 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.