Flower profile
Candy flower
Claytonia sibirica
Candy flower (Claytonia sibirica) is a flowering plant in the Montiaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–July across the U.S.
Candy flower is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–July.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Alaska, Oregon, Washington
Quick look
Claytonia sibirica is a flowering plant in the family Montiaceae, commonly known as pink purslane, candy flower, Siberian spring beauty or Siberian miner's lettuce. A synonym is Montia sibirica. It is native to Aleutian Islands and western North America and has been introduced into parts of Europe and Scandinavia.
- It belongs to the Montiaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual, perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 7 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Oregon, Washington and Alaska. NatureServe
- In Oregon, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. iNaturalist
- In Washington, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–July. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 5,980 research-grade sightings of it in Oregon, ranking #8 among the 184 flowers on our Oregon list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 4,515 research-grade sightings of it in Washington, ranking #31 among the 187 flowers on our Washington list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 553 research-grade sightings of it in Alaska, ranking #77 among the 121 flowers on our Alaska list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
Bloom time in the 3 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
| State | Type | Peak bloom | Sightings* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | Native | April–June | 5,980 |
| Washington | Native | April–July | 4,515 |
| Alaska | Native | few records (25) | 553 |
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
- Oregon
- Not listed Not on Oregon endangered and threatened plants (OAR 603-073-0070). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oregon. OAR 603-073-0070
- 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. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Washington.
- Alaska
- No list Alaska has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alaska ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alaska.
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
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.
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 candy flower in 7 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alaska, California, Idaho, Massachusetts, Montana, Oregon, Washington.
Oregon counties with USDA records: Baker, Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Coos, Crook, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Washington, Yamhill.
Washington counties with USDA records: Asotin, Chelan, Clallam, Clark, Columbia, Cowlitz, Garfield, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Klickitat, Lewis, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Pend Oreille, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Walla Walla, Whatcom, Whitman, Yakima.
Alaska counties with USDA records: Aleutians East, Aleutians West, Chugach, Copper River, Haines, Juneau, Kenai Peninsula, Ketchikan Gateway, Kodiak Island, Lake and Peninsula, Sitka, Yakutat.
Names, range and relatives
Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Alaska: Native; Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 87 counties across 7 states; the most are in Washington (30), Oregon (26), Alaska (12).
Other Claytonia on Bloomipedia (5): Virginia springbeauty, Miner's lettuce, Carolina springbeauty, Lanceleaf springbeauty, Madrean springbeauty.
More from the Montiaceae family (7 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Redmaids, Bitterroot.
More Oregon flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CLSI2.
- iNaturalist, Claytonia sibirica: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Claytonia sibirica (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Oregon: Oregon endangered and threatened plants (OAR 603-073-0070).
- Oregon: Oregon noxious weed quarantine, A and B weeds (OAR 603-052-1200).
- Washington: Washington State noxious weed list (WAC 16-750-005, -011, -015).
- Alaska: Alaska prohibited and restricted noxious weeds (11 AAC 34.020).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Claytonia sibirica (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Gavin Slater via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.