Flower profile
Diamond-flowers
Stenaria nigricans
Diamond-flowers (Stenaria nigricans) is a low shrub in the Rubiaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–July across the U.S.
Diamond-flowers is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 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.
Quick look
- It belongs to the Rubiaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a subshrub 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 Texas and Oklahoma. NatureServe
- In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–July. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 7,650 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #79 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 373 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #94 among the 159 flowers on our Oklahoma 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
- G5 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
- 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.
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: CO (S1), IN (S2), MI (SX), VA (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?
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 diamond-flowers in 23 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia.
Texas counties with USDA records: Anderson, Angelina, Aransas, Armstrong, Austin, Bailey, Bandera, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bosque, Bowie, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Briscoe, Brown, Burnet, Calhoun, Callahan, Cameron, Carson, Chambers, Childress, Clay, Coleman, Collin, Comal, Concho, Cooke, Coryell, Cottle, Crockett, Crosby, Culberson, Dallam, Dallas, Deaf Smith, Delta, Denton, Dickens, Donley, Eastland, Edwards, Ellis, Erath, Fannin, Fayette, Floyd, Galveston, Garza, Gillespie, Goliad, Gonzales, Gray, Grayson, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hamilton, Hardin, Harris, Harrison, Hartley, Hays, Hemphill, Houston, Hudspeth, Hunt, Hutchinson, Irion, Jackson, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jones, Kendall, Kenedy, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Kleberg, La Salle, Lamb, Lampasas, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Lipscomb, Live Oak, Llano, Lubbock, Marion, Martin, Mason, McCulloch, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Menard, Mills, Montague, Moore, Motley, Navarro, Newton, Nueces, Ochiltree, Oldham, Palo Pinto, Parker, Pecos, Polk, Potter, Presidio, Randall, Real, Roberts, Robertson, Rockwall, Runnels, Sabine, San Patricio, Schleicher, Shackelford, Shelby, Smith, Somervell, Sutton, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Travis, Tyler, Uvalde, Val Verde, Waller, Washington, Wheeler, Wichita, Williamson, Wise, Wood, Young.
Oklahoma counties with USDA records: Adair, Alfalfa, Atoka, Beaver, Beckham, Blaine, Bryan, Caddo, Carter, Cherokee, Cleveland, Comanche, Creek, Custer, Delaware, Dewey, Ellis, Garfield, Grady, Greer, Harmon, Haskell, Hughes, Jefferson, Johnston, Kay, Kingfisher, Kiowa, Latimer, Le Flore, Logan, Love, Marshall, Mayes, McCurtain, Murray, Muskogee, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Osage, Payne, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Pushmataha, Roger Mills, Rogers, Seminole, Sequoyah, Stephens, Texas, Tulsa, Wagoner, Washita, Woods.
Names, range and relatives
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 516 counties across 20 states; the most are in Texas (145), Kansas (83), Missouri (68).
More from the Rubiaceae family (18 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Partridgeberry, Buttonbush, Azure bluet, Field madder, Largeflower Mexican clover, Buttonweed, Tiny bluet, Shiny-leaved wild coffee.
More Texas flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile STNI6.
- iNaturalist, Stenaria nigricans: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- 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)).
- Oklahoma: Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law (2 O.S. § 3-220).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Stenaria nigricans (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Michelle W. （鍾偉瑋） via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.