Flower profile

Galax

Galax urceolata

Native in the lower 48

Galax is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–July.

12states

4of our state lists

10,634U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee

Quick look

Galax, the wandplant, wandflower, or beetleweed, is a genus in the flowering plant family Diapensiaceae, containing a single species, Galax urceolata. It is native to the southeastern United States from Massachusetts and New York south to northern Alabama, growing mainly in the Appalachian Mountains at altitudes of up to 1,500 m, where it grows in shaded places in forests.
From Wikipedia's article Galax, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Diapensiaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a shrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 12 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina. ^NatureServe
In North Carolina, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–July. ^iNaturalist
In Tennessee, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 5,198 research-grade sightings of it in North Carolina, ranking #17 among the 111 flowers on our North Carolina list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,921 research-grade sightings of it in Tennessee, ranking #52 among the 112 flowers on our Tennessee list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,253 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #68 among the 111 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist

Galax gift ideas

Handmade galax 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”) (1,402 records)

Bloom time in each of our 4 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
North Carolina	Native	May–July	5,198
Tennessee	Native	April–June	1,921
Georgia	Native	May–June	1,253
South Carolina	Native	January–July	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: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
North Carolina: Not listed Not on North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301). NatureServe: S5, secure in North Carolina. ^{02 NCAC 48F .0301}
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}
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}
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: MD (SX). (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 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 galax in 12 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia.

North Carolina counties with USDA records: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Beaufort, Bertie, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Cumberland, Davidson, Davie, Duplin, Durham, Forsyth, Gaston, Graham, Granville, Guilford, Harnett, Haywood, Henderson, Hertford, Iredell, Jackson, Johnston, Lee, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, Martin, McDowell, Mitchell, Montgomery, Moore, Nash, Northampton, Onslow, Orange, Pitt, Polk, Randolph, Rowan, Rutherford, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Wake, Watauga, Wayne, Wilkes, Wilson, Yadkin, Yancey.

Tennessee counties with USDA records: Blount, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hawkins, Johnson, Knox, McMinn, Monroe, Polk, Roane, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Washington.

Georgia counties with USDA records: Banks, Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Clarke, Cobb, Dade, Dawson, Elbert, Floyd, Forsyth, Gilmer, Gordon, Habersham, Hall, Haralson, Jackson, Meriwether, Murray, Newton, Oglethorpe, Pickens, Rabun, Stephens, Taylor, Towns, Union, Walker, White.

More North Carolina flowers

Crane-fly orchid

Tipularia discolor

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American pokeweed

Phytolacca americana

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Striped wintergreen

Chimaphila maculata

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🌼 Blooms in NC: May–July

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile GAUR2.
iNaturalist, Galax urceolata: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Galax (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
North Carolina: North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301).
North Carolina: North Carolina Noxious Weed List (02 NCAC 48A .1702) (the list names any non-native Lythrum; we apply it to purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), which isn't native).
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).
Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
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, Galax urceolata (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Morgan Freese via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.