Flower profile
Corn gromwell
Buglossoides arvensis
Corn gromwell (Buglossoides arvensis) is a flowering plant in the Boraginaceae family, introduced in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly February–April across the U.S.
Corn gromwell is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Kansas
Quick look
Buglossoides arvensis, known as field gromwell, corn gromwell, bastard alkanet, and stone seed, is a flowering plant of the family Boraginaceae. It is native to Europe and Asia, as far north as Korea, Japan and Russia, and as far south as Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. It is known in other places as an introduced species, including much of North America and Australia.
- 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 introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 45 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as not native to Kansas. NatureServe
- iNaturalist has 306 research-grade sightings of it in Kansas, ranking #91 among the 151 flowers on our Kansas list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. NatureServe
- Kansas
- No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Kansas.
- 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 corn gromwell in 45 states plus Washington, D.C.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming; District of Columbia.
Kansas counties with USDA records: Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Barber, Bourbon, Brown, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Cowley, Crawford, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Elk, Franklin, Greenwood, Harvey, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Labette, Leavenworth, Linn, Lyon, Marshall, McPherson, Miami, Montgomery, Morris, Nemaha, Neosho, Osage, Osborne, Pottawatomie, Saline, Shawnee, Sumner, Wabaunsee, Wilson, Woodson, Wyandotte.
Names, range and relatives
Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Introduced; Lower 48 states: Introduced.
Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Lithospermum arvense.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 887 counties across 41 states; the most are in Virginia (86), Missouri (78), Illinois (71).
More from the Boraginaceae family (42 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Virginia bluebells, Virginia waterleaf, Pacific hound's tongue, Distant phacelia, Alkali heliotrope, Virginia stickseed, Wild comfrey, Menzies' baby blue eyes.
More Kansas flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile BUAR3.
- iNaturalist, Buglossoides arvensis: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Buglossoides arvensis (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Kansas: Kansas noxious weeds (K.A.R. 4-8-44, as amended 2026).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Buglossoides arvensis (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Alex via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.