Bloomipedia
Creeping foamflower (Tiarella stolonifera)
Photo: Nick Kleinschmidt via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Creeping foamflower

Tiarella stolonifera

Creeping foamflower (Tiarella stolonifera) is a flowering plant in the Saxifragaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–June across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

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.

23states where USDA records it
3Bloomipedia state lists include it
11,213U.S. sightings*

*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 159 flowers on our Vermont list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 993 research-grade sightings of it in New Hampshire, ranking #54 among the 157 flowers on our New Hampshire list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 495 research-grade sightings of it in West Virginia, ranking #74 among the 153 flowers on our West Virginia list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,772 records)
Bloom time in the 3 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
VermontNativeMay–June2,721
New HampshireNativeMay–June993
West VirginiaNativeApril–May495

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?

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 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.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 482 counties across 20 states; the most are in Pennsylvania (51), North Carolina (48), Tennessee (48).

Other Tiarella on Bloomipedia (1): Threeleaf foamflower.

More from the Saxifragaceae family (12 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Fringe cups, Virginia saxifrage, Twoleaf miterwort, Youth-on-age, Cliff saxifrage, Bulbous woodland star, Prairie alumroot, Leatherleaf saxifrage.

More Vermont flowers

Twoleaf miterwort (Mitella diphylla)

Twoleaf miterwort

Mitella diphylla

Native

🌼 Blooms in VT: May
Virginia saxifrage (Micranthes virginiensis)

Virginia saxifrage

Micranthes virginiensis

Native

🌼 Blooms in VT: April–May
Red trillium (Trillium erectum)

Red trillium

Trillium erectum

Native

🌼 Blooms in VT: April–May

Sources