Flower profile

Butterweed

Packera glabella

Native in the lower 48

Butterweed is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 11 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in February–May.

21states

11of our state lists

22,024U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee

Quick look

Packera glabella is one of several plants with the common name butterweed. P. glabella has also been called cressleaf groundsel and yellowtop. It is native to central and southeastern North America but spreads so aggressively, overtaking other native plants, that it is considered a noxious weed in Ohio, although the Ohio Invasive Plants does not list the plant on its invasive species list.
From Wikipedia's article Packera glabella, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asteraceae 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 21 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Illinois, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. ^iNaturalist
In Ohio, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as yellow. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 3.2 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 3,444 research-grade sightings of it in Illinois, ranking #38 among the 109 flowers on our Illinois list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,774 research-grade sightings of it in Ohio, ranking #61 among the 109 flowers on our Ohio list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,995 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #28 among the 111 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist

Butterweed gift ideas

Handmade butterweed 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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Butterweed art print
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (3,004 records)

Bloom time in each of our 11 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Illinois	Native	April–June	3,444
Ohio	Native	April–June	2,774
Georgia	Native	March–May	1,995
Indiana	Native	April–June	1,957
Louisiana	Native	January–April	1,893
Tennessee	Native	March–May	1,886
Kentucky	Native	March–May	1,691
Alabama	Native	March–April	1,520
Missouri	Native	March–May	1,321
Mississippi	Native	February–April	568
South Carolina	Native	March–May	550

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
Illinois: Not listed Not on Illinois List of Endangered and Threatened Flora (17 Ill. Adm. Code 1050), per the Endangered Species Protection Board's 2025 checklist. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Illinois. ^{IL E&T checklist 2025}
Ohio: Not listed Not on Ohio endangered and threatened plants (Ohio Adm. Code 1501:18-1-03, eff. Dec. 26, 2024). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Ohio. ^{OAC 1501:18-1-03}
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: S5, secure in Georgia. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
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. NatureServe: S5, secure in Indiana.
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. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
Tennessee: Not listed Not on Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Tennessee. ^{TN rule 0400-06-02-.04}
Kentucky: Not listed Not on Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026). NatureServe: S5, secure in Kentucky. ^{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. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alabama.
Missouri: Not listed Not on Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Missouri. ^{3 CSR 10-4.111}
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in South Carolina.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: NE (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 butterweed in 21 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas.

Illinois counties with USDA records: Alexander, Calhoun, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Clay, Crawford, Cumberland, Douglas, DuPage, Edgar, Edwards, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Gallatin, Greene, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Jersey, Johnson, Lawrence, Macon, Macoupin, Madison, Marion, Mason, Massac, Montgomery, Moultrie, Peoria, Perry, Piatt, Pike, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Richland, Shelby, Union, Vermilion, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, White, Williamson.

Ohio counties with USDA records: Butler, Erie, Ottawa, Preble.

Georgia counties with USDA records: Baldwin, Bartow, Bibb, Brooks, Camden, Chatham, Clarke, Cobb, Columbia, Decatur, Dodge, Dougherty, Elbert, Glynn, Grady, Jenkins, Johnson, Morgan, Oglethorpe, Putnam, Spalding, Walker, Washington, Wilkes.

More Illinois flowers

Common yarrow

Achillea millefolium

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Goldenrods

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★ KY state flowerNative

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White snakeroot

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🌼 Blooms in IL: July–October

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile PAGL17.
iNaturalist, Packera glabella: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Packera glabella (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Illinois: Illinois List of Endangered and Threatened Flora (17 Ill. Adm. Code 1050), per the Endangered Species Protection Board's 2025 checklist.
Illinois: Illinois Official List of Exotic Weeds (17 Ill. Adm. Code 1100.30, Illinois Exotic Weed Act).
Ohio: Ohio endangered and threatened plants (Ohio Adm. Code 1501:18-1-03, eff. Dec. 26, 2024).
Ohio: Ohio invasive plant species (Ohio Adm. Code 901:5-30-01).
Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
Indiana: Indiana prohibited invasive terrestrial plants (312 IAC 18-3-25).
Tennessee: Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act).
Tennessee: Tennessee Pest Plant List (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0080-06-24-.02).
Kentucky: Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026).
Kentucky: Kentucky noxious weeds and invasive plants on state rights-of-way (KRS 176.051; species list from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet).
Alabama: Alabama noxious weeds (Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-10-14-.04).
Missouri: Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants.
Missouri: Missouri noxious weed list (2 CSR 70-45.005).
Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
South Carolina: South Carolina State Plant Pest List, plants (S.C. Code Regs. 27-135; Clemson Dept. of Plant Industry).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Packera glabella (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Ryan Watson via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.