Flower profile
Creeping foamflower
Tiarella stolonifera
Creeping foamflower 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–June.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: New Hampshire, Vermont, West Virginia
Quick look
Tiarella stolonifera is a species of flowering plant in the family Saxifragaceae. The specific name stolonifera means "spreading by stolons", an important characteristic of this species. Known as the creeping foamflower, it has the widest range of any species of Tiarella in eastern North America.
- It belongs to the Saxifragaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 23 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Vermont, New Hampshire and West Virginia. NatureServe
- In Vermont, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–June. iNaturalist
- In New Hampshire, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–June. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 2,721 research-grade sightings of it in Vermont, ranking #16 among the 110 flowers on our Vermont list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 993 research-grade sightings of it in New Hampshire, ranking #53 among the 109 flowers on our New Hampshire list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 495 research-grade sightings of it in West Virginia, ranking #72 among the 110 flowers on our West Virginia list. iNaturalist
Creeping foamflower gift ideas
Handmade creeping foamflower 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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Creeping foamflower art print
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Creeping foamflower greeting card
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Creeping foamflower mug
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Creeping foamflower earrings
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Creeping foamflower embroidery pattern
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Creeping foamflower sticker
When does it bloom?
Bloom time in each of our 3 states
| State | Type | Peak bloom | Sightings* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont | Native | May–June | 2,721 |
| New Hampshire | Native | May–June | 993 |
| West Virginia | Native | April–June | 495 |
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
- Vermont
- Not listed Not on Endangered and Threatened Plants of Vermont (10 V.S.A. chap. 123; list of Feb 10, 2022). NatureServe: S5, secure in Vermont. Vermont E&T list
- New Hampshire
- Not listed Not on New Hampshire Official Rare Plants List (Ncr 312, eff. Jan 1, 2020). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Hampshire. NH Ncr 312
- 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. NatureServe: S5, secure in West Virginia.
- 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 edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. NC State Extension
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 creeping foamflower in 23 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin.
Vermont counties with USDA records: Addison, Bennington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Franklin, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham, Windsor.
New Hampshire counties with USDA records: Belknap, Carroll, Cheshire, Coos, Grafton, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham, Strafford, Sullivan.
West Virginia counties with USDA records: Barbour, Boone, Braxton, Cabell, Calhoun, Fayette, Gilmer, Grant, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Kanawha, Lincoln, Marion, McDowell, Mercer, Mineral, Mingo, Monongalia, Nicholas, Pleasants, Pocahontas, Preston, Randolph, Ritchie, Summers, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Upshur, Wayne, Wetzel, Wirt, Wyoming.
USDA PLANTS and NatureServe don't separate this foamflower from heartleaf foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), so their data here covers that broader species.
More Vermont flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile TICO.
- iNaturalist, Tiarella stolonifera: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Tiarella stolonifera (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Vermont: Endangered and Threatened Plants of Vermont (10 V.S.A. chap. 123; list of Feb 10, 2022).
- Vermont: Vermont Quarantine List, Regulated Introduced Plant Species Rule (eff. June 16, 2026).
- New Hampshire: New Hampshire Official Rare Plants List (Ncr 312, eff. Jan 1, 2020).
- New Hampshire: NH Prohibited Invasive Species List (Agr 3800, Table 3800.1).
- West Virginia: West Virginia noxious weeds (W. Va. Code R. § 61-14A-5) (the rule abbreviates some names (e.g. “P. cuspidatum”); we expand them to match).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Tiarella stolonifera (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
- Photo: Nick Kleinschmidt via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.