Flower profile

Harbinger of spring

Erigenia bulbosa

Harbinger of spring (Erigenia bulbosa) is a flowering plant in the Apiaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly February–April across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Harbinger of spring is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in February–April.

20states where USDA records it

3Bloomipedia state lists include it

7,697U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio

Quick look

Erigenia bulbosa, also known as harbinger of spring or pepper and salt, is a flowering perennial plant in the family Apiaceae. E. bulbosa is the only species in the genus Erigenia and tribe Erigenieae. This plant is known as harbinger of spring because it is one of the earliest blooming native wildflowers of rich forests in the mid-latitude United States.
From Wikipedia's article Erigenia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Apiaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual, perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 20 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. ^NatureServe
In Indiana, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–April. ^iNaturalist
In Ohio, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–April. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,137 research-grade sightings of it in Indiana, ranking #21 among the 173 flowers on our Indiana list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,796 research-grade sightings of it in Ohio, ranking #100 among the 186 flowers on our Ohio list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 798 research-grade sightings of it in Kentucky, ranking #76 among the 178 flowers on our Kentucky list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,635 records)

Bloom time in the 3 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Indiana	Native	March–April	2,137
Ohio	Native	March–April	1,796
Kentucky	Native	February–March	798

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
Indiana: No list Indiana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the DNR keeps a rare plant list, but it isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Indiana ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Indiana.
Ohio: Not listed Not on Ohio endangered and threatened plants (Ohio Adm. Code 1501:18-1-03, eff. Dec. 26, 2024). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Ohio. ^{OAC 1501:18-1-03}
Kentucky: Not listed Not on Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026). NatureServe: S5, secure in Kentucky. ^{400 KAR 3:040}
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: DC (SX), GA (S2), KS (S1), MS (S1), NC (S1), NY (S1), OK (S1), WI (SH). (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 harbinger of spring in 20 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, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin; District of Columbia.

Indiana counties with USDA records: Adams, Allen, Bartholomew, Blackford, Clark, Crawford, Daviess, DeKalb, Dearborn, Delaware, Elkhart, Fayette, Fountain, Grant, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Howard, Huntington, Jackson, Jay, Jefferson, Johnson, Kosciusko, LaPorte, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Noble, Orange, Parke, Perry, Posey, Putnam, Randolph, Ripley, Spencer, St. Joseph, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Vermillion, Vigo, Wabash, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wells.

Ohio counties with USDA records: Adams, Allen, Ashland, Ashtabula, Athens, Auglaize, Belmont, Brown, Butler, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Columbiana, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Defiance, Delaware, Erie, Fairfield, Franklin, Gallia, Geauga, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Henry, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Huron, Jackson, Jefferson, Lake, Licking, Lorain, Lucas, Madison, Mahoning, Medina, Meigs, Miami, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum, Paulding, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Portage, Preble, Putnam, Ross, Sandusky, Scioto, Seneca, Shelby, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Union, Vinton, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Williams, Wood, Wyandot.

Kentucky counties with USDA records: Adair, Anderson, Barren, Bath, Boone, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Caldwell, Campbell, Carter, Casey, Clark, Crittenden, Cumberland, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Fayette, Franklin, Gallatin, Grant, Grayson, Hardin, Hart, Henderson, Henry, Hickman, Jackson, Jefferson, Jessamine, Kenton, Larue, Laurel, Lawrence, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, Madison, Marion, McCreary, McLean, Meade, Menifee, Mercer, Metcalfe, Montgomery, Nelson, Nicholas, Oldham, Owen, Pendleton, Robertson, Rockcastle, Taylor, Todd, Trimble, Union, Warren, Wayne, Whitley, Wolfe, Woodford.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 419 counties across 19 states; the most are in Ohio (70), Kentucky (62), Missouri (61).

More from the Apiaceae family (16 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Queen Anne's lace (wild carrot), Common cowparsnip, Poison hemlock, Common hedge parsley, Fennel, Rattlesnake master, Golden alexanders, Goutweed.

More Indiana flowers

Queen Anne's lace (wild carrot)

Daucus carota

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in IN: July–September

Rattlesnake master

Eryngium yuccifolium

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in IN

Poison hemlock

Conium maculatum

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in IN: May–June

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ERBU.
iNaturalist, Erigenia bulbosa: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Erigenia (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Indiana: Indiana prohibited invasive terrestrial plants (312 IAC 18-3-25).
Ohio: Ohio endangered and threatened plants (Ohio Adm. Code 1501:18-1-03, eff. Dec. 26, 2024).
Ohio: Ohio invasive plant species (Ohio Adm. Code 901:5-30-01).
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).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Erigenia bulbosa (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.