Bloomipedia
Buttonweed (Diodia virginiana)
Photo: Emily Summerbell via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Buttonweed

Diodia virginiana

Buttonweed (Diodia virginiana) is a low shrub in the Rubiaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly June–September across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Buttonweed is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–September.

24states where USDA records it
4Bloomipedia state lists include it
14,395U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi

Quick look

Diodia virginiana is a plant species in the Rubiaceae, common name Virginia buttonweed.

  • It belongs to the Rubiaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a subshrub with a annual, perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 24 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi. NatureServe
  • In Georgia, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–September. iNaturalist
  • In Louisiana, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–October. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1,130 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #82 among the 183 flowers on our Georgia list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 808 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #41 among the 154 flowers on our Louisiana list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 621 research-grade sightings of it in Arkansas, ranking #87 among the 170 flowers on our Arkansas list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,634 records)
Bloom time in the 4 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
GeorgiaNativeJune–September1,130
LouisianaNativeJune–October808
ArkansasNativeJune–September621
MississippiNativeMay–September310

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
Georgia
Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Georgia. Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09
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.
Arkansas
No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arkansas.
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.
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: KS (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 edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. NC State Extension

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 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 buttonweed in 24 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia.

Georgia counties with USDA records: Baker, Bartow, Berrien, Brooks, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clarke, Colquitt, Columbia, Dawson, Decatur, Dooly, Echols, Elbert, Fulton, Gilmer, Grady, Habersham, Hall, Irwin, Jackson, Lanier, Lincoln, Long, Madison, McIntosh, Meriwether, Mitchell, Morgan, Murray, Oglethorpe, Rabun, Screven, Spalding, Taliaferro, Tift, Toombs, Troup, Walker, Wilcox, Wilkes.

Louisiana counties with USDA records: Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Iberville, Jackson, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, LaSalle, Lafayette, Lafourche, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Orleans, Ouachita, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Tensas, Terrebonne, Union, Vermilion, Vernon, Washington, Webster, West Baton Rouge, West Carroll, West Feliciana, Winn.

Arkansas counties with USDA records: Arkansas, Ashley, Baxter, Benton, Bradley, Calhoun, Carroll, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Crittenden, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin, Garland, Grant, Greene, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Independence, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Little River, Logan, Lonoke, Madison, Marion, Miller, Mississippi, Monroe, Montgomery, Nevada, Newton, Ouachita, Perry, Phillips, Pike, Poinsett, Polk, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Scott, Searcy, Sevier, St. Francis, Union, Van Buren, Washington, White, Woodruff, Yell.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 722 counties across 20 states; the most are in North Carolina (82), Arkansas (67), Florida (67).

More from the Rubiaceae family (18 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Partridgeberry, Buttonbush, Azure bluet, Field madder, Largeflower Mexican clover, Tiny bluet, Shiny-leaved wild coffee, Diamond-flowers.

More Georgia flowers

Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens)

Partridgeberry

Mitchella repens

Native

🌼 Blooms in GA: April–May
Field madder (Sherardia arvensis)

Field madder

Sherardia arvensis

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in GA: March–May
Tiny bluet (Houstonia pusilla)

Tiny bluet

Houstonia pusilla

Native

🌼 Blooms in GA: February–March

Sources