Flower profile
Hairy puccoon
Lithospermum caroliniense
Hairy puccoon is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Nebraska
Quick look
Lithospermum caroliniense, commonly known as the hairy puccoon or Carolina puccoon or Plains puccoon, is a flowering plant found in the Midwestern United States and Canadian provinces surrounding the Great Lakes. The plant grows in sandhills, pine barrens, and dry, sandy woods.
- It belongs to the Boraginaceae 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 27 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Nebraska. NatureServe
- iNaturalist has 160 research-grade sightings of it in Nebraska, ranking #100 among the 108 flowers on our Nebraska list. iNaturalist
Hairy puccoon gift ideas
Handmade hairy puccoon 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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Hairy puccoon art print
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Hairy puccoon greeting card
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Hairy puccoon mug
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Hairy puccoon earrings
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Hairy puccoon embroidery pattern
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Hairy puccoon sticker
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
- G4 Apparently secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Nebraska
- Not listed Not on Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nebraska. 163 NAC 4-004
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: CO (S2), MS (S1), OH (S2), 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 hairy puccoon in 27 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, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin.
Nebraska counties with USDA records: Antelope, Arthur, Blaine, Box Butte, Brown, Buffalo, Cherry, Cuming, Custer, Dawson, Dodge, Douglas, Fillmore, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Greeley, Hall, Holt, Hooker, Howard, Jefferson, Kearney, Keith, Keya Paha, Knox, Lincoln, Logan, Madison, McPherson, Nance, Phelps, Pierce, Platte, Richardson, Rock, Saunders, Sheridan, Sherman, Stanton, Thomas, Wheeler.
More Nebraska flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile LICA13.
- iNaturalist, Lithospermum caroliniense: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Lithospermum caroliniense (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Nebraska: Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004).
- Nebraska: Nebraska noxious weeds (25 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 10, § 001.02).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Lithospermum caroliniense (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Norah Tempus via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.