Flower profile

Frostweed

Verbesina virginica

Native in the lower 48

Frostweed is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 7 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in August–November.

22states

7of our state lists

27,956U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas

Quick look

Verbesina virginica, known by the common names white crownbeard, or frostweed is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the Southeastern United States, where it is found in calcareous soil, often in bottomland thickets and edges of woods.
From Wikipedia's article Verbesina virginica, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asteraceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a biennial, perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 22 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in August–December. ^iNaturalist
In Tennessee, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in July–October. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 17,171 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #19 among the 109 flowers on our Texas list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,442 research-grade sightings of it in Tennessee, ranking #38 among the 112 flowers on our Tennessee list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,007 research-grade sightings of it in Arkansas, ranking #35 among the 109 flowers on our Arkansas list. ^iNaturalist

Frostweed gift ideas

Handmade frostweed gifts from independent makers.

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,856 records)

Bloom time in each of our 7 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Texas	Native	August–December	17,171
Tennessee	Native	July–October	2,442
Arkansas	Native	August–October	1,007
Kentucky	Native	July–October	780
Alabama	Native	August–October	681
Oklahoma	Native	August–October	522
Louisiana	Native	September–November	430

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}
Tennessee: Not listed Not on Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Tennessee. ^{TN rule 0400-06-02-.04}
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.
Kentucky: Not listed Not on Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Kentucky. ^{400 KAR 3:040}
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.
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.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: NC (S2). (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 frostweed in 22 states plus Washington, D.C.

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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, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia; District of Columbia.

Texas counties with USDA records: Anderson, Bandera, Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Brazoria, Brazos, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Cass, Chambers, Collin, Comal, Comanche, Dallas, DeWitt, Denton, Edwards, Fannin, Fayette, Franklin, Freestone, Galveston, Gillespie, Gonzales, Grayson, Gregg, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Hays, Henderson, Hill, Hopkins, Houston, Hunt, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Liberty, Limestone, Llano, Madison, McLennan, Medina, Montgomery, Real, Robertson, Rusk, San Augustine, San Jacinto, San Saba, Tarrant, Titus, Travis, Upshur, Uvalde, Walker, Wharton, Williamson, Wilson, Wood.

Tennessee counties with USDA records: Bedford, Blount, Campbell, Cannon, Carroll, Carter, Clay, Coffee, Davidson, Decatur, Fayette, Franklin, Hamilton, Hardin, Henry, Houston, Humphreys, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lewis, Lincoln, Loudon, Marion, Marshall, Maury, Meigs, Monroe, Montgomery, Rhea, Roane, Robertson, Rutherford, Scott, Shelby, Smith, Stewart, Sumner, Tipton, Trousdale, Unicoi, White, Williamson, Wilson.

Arkansas counties with USDA records: Arkansas, Ashley, Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Crittenden, Cross, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin, Garland, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Independence, Jackson, Johnson, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Nevada, Newton, Pike, Poinsett, Polk, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Scott, Searcy, Sevier, Sharp, St. Francis, Stone, Union, Van Buren, Washington, Yell.

More Texas flowers

Common yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Introduced

🌼 Blooms: April–September

Goldenrods

Solidago

★ KY state flowerNative

🌼 Blooms: July–October

White snakeroot

Ageratina altissima

Native

🌼 Blooms: August–October

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile VEVI3.
iNaturalist, Verbesina virginica: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Verbesina virginica (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)).
Tennessee: Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act).
Tennessee: Tennessee Pest Plant List (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0080-06-24-.02).
Arkansas: Arkansas State Plant Board noxious weeds and prohibited plants (2 CAR § 50-101).
Kentucky: Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026).
Kentucky: Kentucky noxious weeds and invasive plants on state rights-of-way (KRS 176.051; species list from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet).
Alabama: Alabama noxious weeds (Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-10-14-.04).
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law (2 O.S. § 3-220).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Verbesina virginica (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: David Garza via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.