Flower profile

Crowpoison

Nothoscordum bivalve

Native in the lower 48

Crowpoison is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 9 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in February–November.

19states

9of our state lists

27,251U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas

Quick look

Nothoscordum bivalve is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae known by the common names crow poison and false garlic. It is native to the eastern United States from Texas to Florida up to Nebraska and Ohio, as well as Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, northeastern Argentina and central Chile.
From Wikipedia's article Nothoscordum bivalve, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Amaryllidaceae 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 19 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–November. ^iNaturalist
In Alabama, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–November. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 17,037 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #22 among the 109 flowers on our Texas list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,309 research-grade sightings of it in Alabama, ranking #32 among the 111 flowers on our Alabama list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,240 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #12 among the 110 flowers on our Oklahoma list. ^iNaturalist

Crowpoison gift ideas

Handmade crowpoison 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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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,865 records)

Bloom time in each of our 9 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Texas	Native	February–November	17,037
Alabama	Native	February–November	1,309
Oklahoma	Native	March–October	1,240
Georgia	Native	March–October	958
Louisiana	Native	February–November	902
Arkansas	Native	March–April	863
Missouri	Native	March–October	781
Mississippi	Native	February–October	586
South Carolina	Native	March–November	413

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G4 Apparently secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Texas: Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. ^{31 TAC 69.8}
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alabama.
Oklahoma: No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
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.
Missouri: Not listed Not on Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Missouri. ^{3 CSR 10-4.111}
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.
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in South Carolina.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: NE (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 page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

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 crowpoison in 19 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia.

Texas counties with USDA records: Anderson, Angelina, Archer, Austin, Bailey, Bandera, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Bowie, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Briscoe, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Callahan, Cameron, Chambers, Childress, Coleman, Colorado, Comal, Coryell, Crockett, Crosby, Dallas, Denton, Duval, Eastland, Ector, Edwards, Fayette, Floyd, Fort Bend, Freestone, Frio, Garza, Gillespie, Goliad, Gonzales, Grayson, Grimes, Hale, Hardeman, Hardin, Harris, Hartley, Hays, Hunt, Jackson, Jeff Davis, Jones, Karnes, Kaufman, Kerr, Kleberg, Lampasas, Llano, Lubbock, Madison, Marion, McLennan, Morris, Nacogdoches, Nolan, Nueces, Orange, Pecos, Presidio, Robertson, Rusk, San Augustine, San Patricio, San Saba, Schleicher, Shackelford, Smith, Somervell, Sutton, Tarrant, Taylor, Titus, Travis, Trinity, Tyler, Uvalde, Val Verde, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Washington, Webb, Wharton, Wheeler, Willacy, Williamson, Wise, Wood.

Alabama counties with USDA records: Barbour, Bibb, Butler, Calhoun, Chambers, Choctaw, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Dallas, Elmore, Etowah, Franklin, Greene, Hale, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Madison, Marengo, Marshall, Mobile, Montgomery, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox.

Oklahoma counties with USDA records: Adair, Alfalfa, Blaine, Bryan, Carter, Cherokee, Choctaw, Cleveland, Coal, Comanche, Creek, Custer, Garfield, Garvin, Grady, Grant, Greer, Haskell, Hughes, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnston, Kay, Kingfisher, Latimer, Le Flore, Logan, Marshall, McClain, McCurtain, Murray, Muskogee, Nowata, Oklahoma, Osage, Ottawa, Payne, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Pushmataha, Rogers, Sequoyah, Washington, Woods.

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Red spider lily

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Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile NOBI2.
iNaturalist, Nothoscordum bivalve: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Nothoscordum bivalve (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
Alabama: Alabama noxious weeds (Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-10-14-.04).
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law (2 O.S. § 3-220).
Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
Arkansas: Arkansas State Plant Board noxious weeds and prohibited plants (2 CAR § 50-101).
Missouri: Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants.
Missouri: Missouri noxious weed list (2 CSR 70-45.005).
Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
South Carolina: South Carolina State Plant Pest List, plants (S.C. Code Regs. 27-135; Clemson Dept. of Plant Industry).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Nothoscordum bivalve (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Evan M. Raskin via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.